A Hyper-Kinetic & Asian-Inspired Dior
By Godfrey Deeny
(Photo by Gruber-FWD)
PARIS, Jan 21, 2003/ FWD/ --- John Galliano celebrated a remarkable 2002 for Christian Dior, with a brilliant romp through Chinese culture on Monday in Paris, the opening day of the haute couture season here.
The omens were good from the opening of the business day, when the house announced stunning results -- a 41 percent increase in 2002 sales to 492 million euros. Crisis -- what crisis?
Galliano has been roaming Asia of late finding inspiration for the collections he designs for Dior, but nothing from that continent reached the heights of today's show, a tour de force of music, light box effects, mock performance art, Buddhism and Chinese acrobats. Oh, the clothes were pretty darned impressive too.
The triumph was doubly powerful, given that Galliano had to face a grumpy audience whistling and clapping as the show started almost two hours late. Dior press staff worked the aisles politely explaining there would be un petit delay. Journalists who emerged from backstage 90 minutes after the official start time reported that the models were all long since made up, but some of the outfits had yet to arrive.
But the tardiness was forgiven as soon as the first plate spinners and acrobats appeared on two huge screens at the top of the catwalk, the latter somersaulting around a huge shadowy creature that turned out to be the opening model in the show.
The first five people on the runway were a frantic troupe of Shoaling monks Galliano had discovered on a perfumed hill outside of Beijing. After they passed by in a blur, out came the ever-novel constructions: Elephantine wraps in pink faille embroidered with flowers, crinolines spun around ninety degrees and multi-swathe dressing robe dresses. The accessories were equally elaborate -- seven-inch heeled platforms, bags cut like Chinese boats and a six-foot wide red umbrella. In among all the deconstruction were some great pieces -- curvy little powder blue leather jackets and sexy, above-the-knee chinoiserie skirts.
A finale image of a girl cycling on top of a giant spinning parasol, itself held by a strong man marching down the runway, was truly unforgettable.
The mood was one of triumph backstage as a hoard of camera crews pleaded to get into Galliano's private greeting area.
"We are very pleased with the good results and optimistic for the future, especially in China after this show," Dior president Sidney Toledano told FWD.
"The figures there are modest right now, but destined to grow very quickly. And this show will certainly help. What the Chinese have, which we in the West have lost right now, is optimism -- which was what this show was all about."
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