Sunday 12 February 2012

Sore Dior (worst blog title ever)

By request I've researched the Dior's couture past and present. In particular, the changing of hands from Galliano to Bill Gaytten. This is a move that would prove to be, so far, a tragic one. I won't comment on how I feel about Galliano's, er, racial faux pas, shall we say, but I will say this: He did things to Dior that would make even the firmest of fashion disbelievers stop their line of fire. And shudder. With an inexplicable sense of being in the presence of something beyond their understanding of not just fashion, but art, culture and more specifically pure creativity. It's a way of thinking that personally I have never possessed and doubt I ever will. It's a way of creating that says so much without being in the least bit blatant and evokes emotions in a confusing and often overwhelming way. This is, Galliano was, designing, and indeed creativity, at it's peak.

So how could this be followed? Surely the house of Dior would be hard pressed to find a successor worthy of the name. Gaytten, having worked by the side of Galliano for 16 years, seemed an obvious choice but what follows... well you tell me. But not really because of course I will tell you.

First couture show by Gaytten in Fall, 2011: 


F CTR 2011
Pretending these girls don't have geometric tumors on their heads this is an abomination of the Dior name. I will claim that and I will defend it. This is not Dior. This looks like something a too hip London based, 20 something year old, fresh from a B-grade Fashion College would have as their debut collection in their friends rotting warehouse. 

F CTR 2011
Christian Dior was quoted saying "I have designed flower women". Gaytten is taking this to the next level creating 'dead leaf women'. 

F CTR 2011
Why wear clothes when you can wear a table cloth and scare children as a crazed 'Bat Woman'?  

F CTR 2011
"You know, today, I just.. I just really wanted to be a star. LET ME BE A STAR."

Obviously this was a fail and the critics told him so. I believe what he did next was an attempt to play it safe. In the haute couture world this means you made a dull collection. And it was dull. Boy was it dull (I just realised I haven't had any of my signature bracketing in this post so although having nothing to add, here one is. For jolly lols). 

Second Couture Show by Gaytten, Spring 2012 Couture

S CTR 2012
In case you were wondering what a sheer shirt looks like, here it is. It's a pretty nice sheer shirt. I have one not dissimilar. Difference being this is Dior Couture and mine was about 5 bucks. 

And that's an ugly muthafuckin' skirt. 

This is a good alternative to nudity when you're going out at night. I call it 'Midnight Grecian nip-slip noir'.

So you think hey, this is a pretty sheer collection. There are definitely a lot of sheer happenings. Happening. In this collection. Of sheer. 

Then after your 5 millionth semi naked model you realise this isn't just see through clothing we're dealing with, It's just not finished. That's right, Dior's Spring Couture is based around a theme of the lining of clothing. 


In this bad boy the dress-makers chalk was just left on. Like, what the fuck ever man, finish your own cropped blazer you lazy bitches. 

Soooo apparently Galliano was interested in the construction of clothing. Fair. Enough. Bro. That love shows in his FULLY FORMED AND TAILORED PIECES but Gaytten chose to honour this passion for craftmanship by delivering a series of nearly- but not quite there- ensembles. Of course this could be read metaphorically in about a billion different ways but when it comes down to it what he has done is made tailored clothing skeletons and called it Couture. More over Dior Couture. 

I was going to do a back log of Dior's finer moments, you know, balance out all this negativity with something a little more positive- hope, beauty, love etc, but tonight I'm in a hating mood. Hey, they don't call me young and cynical fo' nothing (no one ever calls me this but they should probably start).  So for now I'm going to have to say a big smell ya later and hopefully I'll wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed with a skip in my step and on the right side of the bed spouting optimistic cliche's till the cow's come home.

Smooches,
xxL. 

1 comment:

  1. i kind of enjoy the moon-on-head doe?? it reminds me a bit of the little gremlins from voyage sur la lune (on that note, don't bother learning frenchhh, just come to london and drink old fashioneds with a stranger from the internet, yeee boi) xx

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