John Galliano - Designer, Creative Director of Maison Margiela

[kasper!]

^^^Kim and Kendall both attended the fashion show. What irony?

 

[Cocteau Stone]

^ Aware of that, I was more so alluding to the show's use of latex molded BBLs and padding. In a way, it is the perfect collection for them. One less styling item to worry about.

 

[Nimsay]

if the Kardashians are ONE thing - its the nexus of trends and fashion. Even Kylie with her self esteem in the gutter can throw some Gaultier couture on her back.

 

[lookatme]

I agree! The dress is gorgeous on the red carpet!

 

[Scotty]

PLEASE this cannot be said enough. It's never happening; we had a great run when we did, until it stopped being great and that's fine. If you really love the man and his work, why would you even want him to willingly return to a place that fuelled his addiction and lead to such a painful fall from grace? We should be encouraging him never to go back. Not to Dior, not to Givenchy, Balenciaga, Chanel...anywhere. Definitely not McQueen. He's not gonna go to any other house after Margiela either. This is it. By all means, savor the youtube videos and the images we have from his heyday era - I certainly do - and enjoy his tenure at Margiela. This is the catalogue. Point blank, period.

The only potentially delusional thought I allow myself is that one day, there will be an A-list museum bold and smart enough to host a major retrospective exhibition of his career. Ticket sales would be astronomical.

I just want a full video archive of his work. Lol. But yes, he's not leaving Margiela any time soon. They're expanding the business and banking on him I think. There's gonna be new Margiela stores opening up.

 

[CholoChic]

Para mí, en realidad se ve mejor, especialmente con buena iluminación.

I love the way that lace becomes tulle in that dress

 

[Scotty]

Yes, Kendall's gown is gorgeous indeed. I would have loved to see how the couture collection would have translated into RTW. Maybe this is why John needs his own label back. He used to do this back in the day.

Such a shame.

 

[NYLA22]

An interesting review on the documentary, from Dana Thomas' Substack (the person who wrote Gods & Kings).

High & Low: A Review

Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald's documentary on British fashion designer John Galliano

open.substack.com

 

[gallianostan]

An interesting review on the documentary, from Dana Thomas' Substack (the person who wrote Gods & Kings).

High & Low: A Review

Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald's documentary on British fashion designer John Galliano

open.substack.com

she says "Indeed, I hear talk in Paris that LVMH may bring Galliano back into the group."

https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch...8b-da89-4a4f-8b67-e955f427d1e6_1179x1337.jpeg

 

[MulletProof]

An interesting review on the documentary, from Dana Thomas' Substack (the person who wrote Gods & Kings).

High & Low: A Review

Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald's documentary on British fashion designer John Galliano

open.substack.com

Excellent review! I had some of these questions too while watching it. To be frank, trying to fully restore his career back to full glory does seem kind of pointless but that's Anna for you (remember when she was trying to restore Syria's First Lady? 🥲). Does he deserve to live exiled from his field after paying his dues? no, but he's fine at Margiela, he's no Grandma Moses, he's not going to suddenly peak in his 60s, because.. cautionary tale: the damage of addiction is irreversible, consider your brain fried, and the way you can absorb, encapsulate and communicate culture in just the right vocabulary.. that's youth for you, it doesn't happen again, certainly not after being corporate. So why all this campaign instead of giving young people the opportunities John was afforded in the 80s? why is it always soo goddamn important to receive the stamp of approval by fashion's equivalent of Pepsi and Coca Cola?. With enough love for fashion, you probably don't want to recycle the past, and with enough appreciation and gratitude for Galliano, you probably don't want him (who will always be an addict) back in the toxicity of these companies.

I also don't think the other side (accusers, doubters, you name it) are above questioning. I think it's so convenient that the person who received the Asian slur goes on and on about being ill since 2011, but doesn't say of what, and what triggered it. His lawyer says that one word can have catastrophic consequences in someone's life, which is true, but for that to happen, you need a series of events, what is the context here? he said he woke up to his name being all over the press and the internet, could that have contributed too? why is there no mention on the role of this unwanted exposure for something denigrating and how that, in a way, contradicts him agreeing to interviews (when his lawyer could handle it) and giving mixed statements and taking back things he's said? he wants a letter or a call, but he already received an apology in court. Who in their right mind would want a letter or a call from their abuser when you have already taken him to court and the judge ruled in your favor and justice was served?, sorry but I think that if the abuser was a nameless truck driver from the yellow vests, he would not want neither a call nor a letter.

And yeah, McQueen, Steven, it's all handled superficially but I think the key to that is that Galliano, as much as he finds being in front of a lens irresistible, he's just too fcked up and has waaaay too many unresolved issues that he will not solve in this lifetime and that makes it hard to extract something truly meaningful out of him, and you see this in the way he freezes in the exchange with the Dior employee and how he doesn't know how to respond to her warmth. His background, how he suffered his homosexuality and what he did to himself through addiction make these connections almost impossible to convey for the viewer and that's okay, unless you're campaigning for something...

 

[lookatme]

I am apprehensive to watch this. I don’t believe it’s necessary for John to still be apologizing and groveling and explaining himself in this way 13 years later.

Let him create in peace.

It’s nasty to constantly drag it up and demand someone to humiliate themselves for a complicated, regrettable mistake for this long. At a certain point, penance turns into torture.

And I have ALWAYS felt that there’s never been any questions asked of the “victims.” I’m not justifying or condoning Galliano’s actions or words in the incident, but what kind of person sits there and pokes and prods and aggravates a person so clearly inebriated and so clearly lost and not in their right state of mind? And what kind of person does that and pulls out a camera and continues to engage as the situation escalates? It’s like a person who kicks a rabid, stray dog and gets bitten…and with that analogy I do not mean to illustrate that the person deserved the bite…but what I do mean to call into question is the character of someone who wanted to metaphorically kick the dog in the first place.

 

[gallianostan]

So why all this campaign instead of giving young people the opportunities John was afforded in the 80s?

unfortunately i can't think of a single young prominent designer that deserves the same opportunities he received. it sucks to say but 99% of the work being produced by these graduates from supposedly the "best" fashion schools is really awful. the designers of this generation are simply dwarfed by the designers of all the preceding generations

 

[gallianostan]

"hey, my friends and i saw you across the bar and really dig your vibe. can we buy you a drink?"

 

[MulletProof]

unfortunately i can't think of a single young prominent designer that deserves the same opportunities he received. it sucks to say but 99% of the work being produced by these graduates from supposedly the "best" fashion schools is really awful. the designers of this generation are simply dwarfed by the designers of all the preceding generations

Fashion schools are not like prestigious universities, they're not consistent in quality, programs, faculty, funding, you name it, just study them through decades, one decade their output is out of this world, and then proceed to produce nothing noteworthy for the next 2 decades. I wouldn't worry so much about what the students or recent graduates from 'the best' schools are or aren't doing, or measure the ability of people to express themselves creatively through attire (a craft that is not exclusive to fashion no matter how many times fashion insists on selling this idea) based on what receives publicity.

Besides academic foundation, you also need the thirst to absorb surroundings and it's very rare when people have that (most just long for the past [something easier to understand] instead of present/future [hard work]).. that's what made Galliano rare too and the doc briefly covers it with England in the 80s, so the comparison of designers of this generation to those of preceding generations is a waste of time, you might as well write an essay on how 1931 is superior to 2004. Fashion evolves.. and the idea that the people who created for the youth of the 50s and 60s are superior and everyone therefore needs to design on their behalf and recreate their 'codes' over and over is exactly what keeps fashion in a rut.

 

[susseinmcswanny]

But are you just thinking thru names from the "scene"? Maybe not off the top of the head but it doesn't mean they aren't out there! There are so many creative people with potential. It's so true tho that today there's tons and tons more to sift through because everyone has the excitement of fame now, with all of them in your face at once. But all it takes is talking to the one person, believing in them to give them a chance. I'm sure there's a troubled antisocial nerd out there somewhere with the real magic.

Anyways, I think the reason that no new people are given any opportunities is because the people with money are so preoccupied with "the money" that they're taking the path of least resistance to gain more and more and more of it. There's no interest in longevity. Who are they gonna choose as the next thing to sell? A new young designer they don't know about to gamble on that needs time to blossom or someone already easy enough to astroturf in the clique. And again here with the doc. I don't know what it's for exactly but it's a pretty easy and obvious choice of a subject to take advantage of for some consumerism buzz. Galliano = everyone's nostalgia for Dior = 🤑. But what are they gonna do? Use him again? Istg I still love him but the party's over. If he got tapped by LVMH after this doc I bet it'd just be for some hyped out grey gardens bs followed by crumpling him up and tossing him in the bin. Even now at Margiela where I think he started off honest, the snowball is rolling into something bigger and bigger and getting to be too big of a deal for someone like him at this time in his life. He really should just relax and be doing something he loves instead of being made into a big star again. Or maybe it's just that what he loves, and can't step away from it even if he tries.

 

[CholoChic]

next to kendall dress was a dior dress


photos vogue.com

 

[tourbillions]

good comparison... the fit, the silhouette, the techniques.. its incomparable, Galliano's miles ahead and the Dior looks like the drag race version of it.

 

[lookatme]

The comparison illustrates exactly what I’ve been describing recently of the simplification of designer fashion. The Dior dress is so basic in its patterning and construction - there’s absolutely nothing special about it. Halter neck, bust darts, waist seam, gathered peplum, gathered waist skirt…it’s practically home sewing level.

John’s dress, on the other hand, is the real deal.

 

[GivenchyAddict]

The way this dress ate and left no crumb.

 

[Kanzai]

good comparison... the fit, the silhouette, the techniques.. its incomparable, Galliano's miles ahead and the Dior looks like the drag race version of it.

yes for sth more basic, i would rather go Armani Privé ( miles better ofc )