DALLAS, May 10, 2007/ FW/ --- ‘All the world's a stage; and all the men and women merely players,” Shakespeare wrote in ‘As You Like It.’ To John Galliano, the catwalk is a stage, and all the models, the spectators, including himself are all part of the tableau called a runway show.

For Fall 2007, John Galliano took Shakespeare’s words to heart, beginning with the invitation that said, ‘The Family That Eats Together Stays Together’, the proverb already titillating the minds of the invitees.

Like a good theatrical director, Galliano preps up everything, even the minute detail. He wants his audience to anticipate, to wonder, the climax being the show itself, wherein everyone in the audience will feel they are part of the show. And when it is over, they would feel that they have just been through an exhilarating ride.

Runway shows per se, are already exciting because an attendee knows that a new collection is going to be unveiled for the first time. Still, there are hits and misses. Some collections are so good that editors rave about it; while some do not reach expectations and disappointment follows.

Most of the time, attendees are just part of the audience. They are not part of the action, in a manner of speaking. Just like in the same way in the movies, the directors, scriptwriters and the actors had decided the action a long time ago.

But not with John Galliano who likes to include the audience, to make them feel that they are part of the whole tableau. The venue was a stage set, wherein props are part of the whole show – a Victorian market of curiosities draws your attention. The guests are not just spectators; they are part of the whole show, which in Hollywood lingo are ‘extras.’

And, that is part of John Galliano’s genius – drawing in the audience the moment they step in the venue. He makes them anticipate. So, when the models came out in their tear-stained faces, the audience was ready. The ‘play’ had begun, and they are part of it.

As with every Galliano collection, the clothes are unforgettable. This season, his muse was Victorian England. The layered floor-length gowns were cut to knee-length, the mutton-sleeve coats were given big bows.

Double-breasted coats were closed with oversized buttons and embroidery was used as adornments. And after the voluminous silhouettes, the slim forms of the 1920s were proposed. Sleeveless V-neck frocks that reach to the ankles were embellished with embroidery, tiny ruffles that were layered, or 3-D cabbage roses.

There was the naughty and mischievous bent also, with floor-length chiffon skirts paired with mannish coats.

This show was John Galliano at his milieu. Everyone who was allowed to enter felt privileged. As for the proverb, ‘The family who eats together stays together’ on the invitation, it was the designer’s way of saying that in fashion, we are all family!

From the artisans to the staff in the atelier, to the make-up artist and dressers, to the models and the audience, John Galliano presides as the patriarch.

John Galliano

John Galliano

John Galliano

John Galliano

John Galliano