In the midst of Paris Fashion Week, Christian Dior’s creative director John Galliano has begun an unceremonious descent from favor. The designer engaged in a drunken altercation with an Italian couple in fashionable Paris café, La Perle, in which he made an anti-Semitic outburst. Galliano stated that he was “subjected to verbal harassment and an unprovoked assault when an individual tried to hit me with a chair having taken violent exception to my look and my clothing.” Several celebrities and fellow industry leaders are now siding with John Galliano, maintaining that, although John’s comments are morally reprehensible, they were caused by a mix of heavy drinking and serious provocation, not by genuine anti-Semitism. These unfortunate events occurred days before the launch of Paris Fashion Week, in which Galliano had shows for not only Christian Dior but also his eponymous line, 92 percent of which is owned by the Christian Dior label. With the Galliano show recently cancelled and the Dior show still on track, despite expectations of a poor turnout, the inebriated slurs have cost Galliano his crown as fashion's reigning sovereign.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While on suspension from Christian Dior, a video surfaced on Youtube showing the troubled designer drunkenly ranting and telling a pair of women that, "I love Hitler and people like you would be dead today. Your mothers, your forefathers, would all be fucking gassed and dead." When the women responded in the background of the brief video, almost laughing I might add, "What is your problem?" Galliano replied "With you? You’re ugly!" This video spread throughout the Internet overnight, appearing on worldwide news channels and publications, and made the case for Galliano’s alleged anti-Semitic comments much stronger. While deliberations about the future of Galliano with Dior were immediately underway at LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Henessey), across the pond in New York, recent Academy Award winner and spokeswoman for the Miss Dior Cherie perfume ad campaign Natalie Portman was also watching the video. In a statement she issued on Tuesday morning, Ms Portman, who is Jewish,  said that she was "shocked and disgusted" by John Galliano’s comments and that she would have "no further contact with Mr Galliano in any way." This was the last straw at Dior, and just hours later termination procedures were set in motion. The daunting task of deciding what to do regarding Fashion Week yet remained. Shows associated with Galliano are among the most anticipated and imaginative of every season. How does one even have Paris Fashion Week today without John Galliano or a Dior show for that matter?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was questionable at first whether either of the shows would take place. After investing that much into a presentation (and when it comes to John Galliano doing anything, it’s quite a presentation to say the least) it’s not that easy to simply walk away, even for a company as large as LVMH. Dior is not only one of the largest and most profitable fashion houses in the industry, but they are also the most popular of the 8 remaining Couture presenters at Fashion Week, so cancelling its show was out of the question. Christian Dior decided at the last possible moment that they would move forward with their show on Friday as was originally scheduled. Leading fashion editors were speculating whether John Galliano would appear to make his post-show bow, and supposed that all eyes would be on Dior for that reason among others, but it remained imposible to predict how well attended it would be.

The show began on a bizarrely corporate note with a speech from Chief Executive & President of the Dior label, Sidney Toledano, who took great care to mention everything but Galliano’s name. It was another clear step toward disassociation from its newly ignominious designer. Instead of John Galliano’s post-show appearance, the Atelier, known as the "heart of Dior," made the walk in his absence. Dior has made efforts to eradicate all mention of Galliano’s name—perhaps a little more hastily than the rest of the fashion industry is ready for. Despite the unsurprisingly low celebrity turnout, the show was said to be "highly emotional" by those in attendance. Some were moved to tears. His inspiration for the final collection was women who embodied the style of the late Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson. Galliano has no trial date yet, and the jury of his peers seem undecided about his guilt, but were equally as cautious as Dior to utter his name on the red carpet before entering the show. Reporters lingering outside the tents of the Musée Rodin begged for comments from the stylish guests. Mario Testino was one of the few who even gestured when asked if he thought that Dior was "right to fire its head over the allegations?" Reportedly, he smiled and shrugged before disappearing to take his seat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The questions on everyone's lips in the tents have been, "Where does Dior go from here? Who shall succeed John Galliano?" It’s no understatement that he has so advanced the face of the house’s design aesthetic since his appointment to Creative Director in 1996 that the brand is almost entirely unrecognizable without him. Is it possible to have a Dior without Galliano? Anna Wintour stated that, "A Christian Dior without John Galliano is a pity." However, in regards to anything else she has kept her lips sealed. Will people want Dior without the man who resurrected and modernized its look? Dior is in a panic to find someone who can fill enormously well-heeled shoes of Galliano, a task not easily accomplished for a man who designed 12 collections a year, half of them Couture. Previous interchanging of creative directors within the LVMH family has led many to believe that it will be an inside job. Many are speculating that the leading candidate is Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci, who like Galliano is an alumnus of Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design. Stefano Pilati at Yves Saint Laurent is another possibility.

But then there are those—including me—who suspect that a certain rising star outside the company might be tapped instead. The name that dominates these rumors is Alber Elbaz, who revitalized Lanvin in the same way Galliano did Dior. Just last year, rumors began to circulate that Chanel wanted him to succeed Karl Lagerfeld in the eventuality of his retirement, or—god forbid—his death. These rumors were only quelled when Lagerfeld himself announced that he had no plans on ever retiring from the House of Chanel. In industry eyes, Alber Elbaz may be the only person who could manage the varied design burden of improving upon Christian Dior and John Galliano’s genius and take Dior into a third "New Look."

Regardless, this is the end of an era in fashion history. It is not outside the realm of possibility that Dior could have a similar sales increase as Gucci did when Tom Ford left in 2004. Despite Galliano’s mistakes or deplorable drunken ramblings, since his appointment to the house of Dior he has nearly tripled its profits with bold innovations, renewed interest in its perfumed past, and continued in the traditions of Couture in step with the ideals of Christian Dior himself. Galliano is by no means finished and has already set himself on the path of rehabilitation, but only time will tell the fate of one of our century's most talented and multi-faceted designers. While I share in the shock and disgust over his comments, neither I nor anyone else in the fashion industry can deny his genius. I only hope that the king may one day redeem himself and once again wear his crown.