Typically it seems when a designer carries on about how their collection is a synthesis of east and west, they throw in some silk burnout, a few mandarian collars, an obi belt and call it a day. The eastern influence is immediately apparent in John Galliano's Fall 2009 Collection for Dior, however he takes it a step beyond the collar and kimono club.
The cardinal influences in this collection appeared to be stops along the Silk Road, relatively unexplored regions of our planet when it comes to Western fashion. While home to rich textile and costume traditions, this part of the world seemed to have escaped the scope of the western fashion conscience entirely until now. The looks Galliano sent down the runway today in Paris suggested thorough research and resulted in a very accurate and creative interpretation of costume stretching from The Middle East to the Far East and everywhere in between.
Highlights from the collection included: shimmering jumpsuits in iridescent prints featuring a harem pant and accented with loose coin necklaces and beaded sash belts; tiered, articulated, armor like dresses in metallic; suits with mandarin collars in feather-like prints paired with hobble skirts; looks accented with peaked falconer's caps; a few sari-inspired looks with paisleys silks, beaded trims, and lotus motifs; and finally dramatic fur jackets in black and silver with asymmetrical cheongsam fastenings that brought to mind a Kyrgyz shepherd. There were also many looks which were fusions of multiple cultures, such as a fur-trimmed falconer's vest paired with cream silk harem pants, to emphasize how borderless this collection really was.
It was intriguing to see this kind of work come from Dior, especially after Spring 2009's hi-shine, hi-drama, eighties, corsetted powerbitchfest. While there were certainly looks more severe than others in this most recent showing, it had a gentle, organic, natural feel to it. There was no one particular color story or even fabric story either; like a complicated film it had many subplots which in the end all convened to a satisfying conclusion.
Photos from Coutorture.com
