DALLAS, Aug 7, 2006/ FW/ --- Christian Dior haute couture as a dinner discussion? Strange, but true, because it happened last month at Café Marly; two days after the Christian Dior haute couture show was held, I bumped into Valerie Steele, curator of the FIT Museum, and dinner became a meeting of minds about fashion and everything else.

‘It’s the weaponized woman’ said Valerie Steele about John Galliano’s vision for Christian Dior for Fall 2006, summing up the collection in one sentence.

‘It’s different, it’s original and very creative,’ Steele added.

‘But, the clothes are almost museum pieces,’ I countered. ‘Beautiful, yes, there is no doubt about it. And, even if I can afford it, where will I wear the pear-shaped laser cut olive green empire gown? Even Dallas’ very forgiving fashion sense will not allow it.’

That last sentence elicited a laugh from everyone on the table. Dallas is home to many haute couture clients, and sometimes women can wear some outrageous clothes, not necessarily haute couture.

‘Think of the possibilities for accessories,’ Valerie Steele said. ‘The collection is exactly what haute couture is, a fashion lab, where innovations come from. It is inspiring.’

‘True,’ I agreed. ‘And if we take out the headdresses and body armor, the gowns are actually wearable, like the salmon Grecian gown. That one can easily be worn in any red carpet affair.’

‘John Galliano always makes you think,’ Valerie Steele said. ‘Even when he came out wearing a space suit, that was interesting.’

I did not have an answer to that, including the others around the table, so we all ate our steaks and drank our wine while continuing to discuss the different pieces in the collection.

Christian Dior

Christian Dior

Christian Dior

Christian Dior