Art-à-Porter: John Galliano and rococo fashion

John Galliano, arguably one of the most famous individuals from the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, is quite possibly the fashion designer who has best embodied the essence of 19th century European royalty in his gowns. As the head designer of Dior for 15 straight years (1996–2011)and the current creative director of Maison Margiela, Galliano has influenced the fashion world immensely.

One of John Galliano’s most iconic shows is the Dior haute couture line of Fall-Winter 2004. The designer said that for this collection he went on a research trip to Vienna and was inspired by his impressions of the lives of Austro-Hungarian empresses. Every single look Galliano sent down the runway was a full-length gown, many of them embroidered with floral motifs, something he has become known for. The models walked out with precious crowns and accessories that looked like they were coming straight out of the Tower of London, where the Queen of England’s jewels are kept.

The atmosphere Galliano managed to create on the runway was reminiscent of paintings by Fragonard, a French Rococo artist who often portrayed playful scenes of aristocrats in nature. The woman in “The Swing” (1776), for instance, could have very well been the 30th look on the runway. This show perfectly illustrated why many say that life imitates art.

Another show that arguably determined Galliano’s success in the fashion world was the Dior Fall-Winter 2000 ready-to-wear collection. One of the highlights of this runway was a newspaper print that appeared on dresses, leather jackets and furs. Not only was this a bold feature of the collection, but it was also an indirect tribute to Coco Chanel’s biggest rival, Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli, who made dresses with newspaper-like prints herself.

It is also interesting to compare the mode of composition of these garments with other pieces of visual art that include real newspaper print. For instance, in his synthetic cubist phase, Pablo Picasso made his “Bottle of Vieux Marc, Glass, Guitar and Newspaper” piece, which featured extracts of the French newspaper “Le Figaro.” Picasso and other cubist artists such as Georges Braque employed this mode of composition to highlight specific events that occurred at the time. It is therefore fascinating and extremely significant that Galliano decided to feature his own name all over the newspaper prints in the different looks he sent down the runway, probably in an effort to put himself in the spotlight (at least more so than it already was).

Although his work as a designer is undisputedly influential, it should also be mentioned that Galliano is an example of how one’s artistic talent does not always match one’s integrity or personal character. In 2011, the fashion designer made some sordid anti-Semitic comments that led to him being fired by the Dior maison. Even though he has since apologized, it is disgusting that these kinds of remarks are still being made to this day, especially by a person with so much fame and influence.