Well, you all know how great a fan I have been of John Galliano’s work for the house of Christian Dior, so this is a sad post. I’m sure you have all heard how Galliano has been dismissed from Christian Dior, after being publicly disgraced in relation to antisemitic and pro-Nazi statements, and he has now checked himself into rehabilitation for alcoholism. Yes, I know. Shock. Disbelief. This was his last ready-to-wear collection for Dior, and as usual, has so much I adore. Apparently the show was a sad affair, with a long speech from the CEO Sidney Toledano and, in place of Galliano’s usual flamboyant strut down the catwalk at the end, a gathering of the collection’s design team, seamstresses and craftsmen on stage, and both cheering and weeping from the audience. As Tim Blanks at Style.com noted, “The only precedent for this situation is Coco Chanel’s postwar denunciation as a Nazi collaboratrice. Her exile from the fashion world lasted nine years.”
Don’t panic, John is alive. He will be ok.
Unfortunately, Dior has died. Does it sadden you?
“The only precedent for this situation” ????
Oh my god. The world has gone mad.
What he did?!
A few drunken words out of context… Yes, it was terribly disgraceful situation. It was so shameful! But he is not a murderer. He is not a rapist. He was just drunk and said some stupid things. And very bad people took advantage of this.
As for Coco Chanel, she was a Nazi agent, she WORKED for Hitler.
Tell me, you see some difference between these two situations?
If not, it really scares me…
I think the comparison Tim Blanks was trying to draw was not between their actions, but the reaction of the fashion world. Galliano is being shunned with a fervour similar to the treatment Chanel received from the community. His statement was a chilling way to end an article that was otherwise a celebration of Galliano’s great talent and the beauty of this show. He is asking: are we really going to treat Galliano this way?