Christian Dior’s Glamour Girls

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The New York Sun

PARIS — As Sting and Trudie Styler took their seats in the front row at the Christian Dior show yesterday, the crowd was paying far more attention to the oppressive humidity than to the stars. But when the first few notes of Sting’s 1987 song “Englishman in New York” hit the loudspeakers, some guests began cheering.

The celebratory mood at the show, held in an exhibition space within the Tuileries Garden, seemed appropriate, as this is one of the first major collections to be shown in Paris this season. “It’s always an elegant way to kick off fashion week,” the creative director of Elle magazine, Joe Zee, said.

Sting’s calm, sultry tune was a fitting complement to the menswear-inspired looks that kicked off John Galliano’s spring 2008 collection for Christian Dior. A three-piece power suit in deep black with white stripes was cut sharp, with a gangster feel. But the gangster’s flunky was present, too, in the shape of a model wearing a simple ensemble of white ribbed tank, suspenders, and off-white wool cuffed pants, topped off with a bowler hat. Trench coats — ranging from white leather to zebra print — added to the shifty, Prohibition mood.

From this tough, masculine starting point, the collection veered into dramatic femininity. Dresses in pale shades of mint, lilac, and gray silk were cut to flatter, with wide décolletage and slim knee-length skirts that flared at the hem. A few hints of chinoiserie — in a dress and a fitted jacket — emphasized the exotic. Silk capes trimmed in fox fur also lent an air of Erté-inspired glamour. An occasional wrap dress with high, puckered shoulders seemed plucked more from the wardrobe of “Dynasty” than “The Untouchables,” but they were sexy nonetheless. And spaghetti-strap, knee-length dresses made off what appeared to be yards of antique lace, one in off-white, another in lilac, looked decidedly wearable.

From day dresses, the attention turned not just to evening gowns, but to the boudoir, as well. The full-length red-carpet stunners, which draped the models giving them flawless silhouettes, were followed by a series of short camisole dresses and a few pairs of silk pajamas. After all, who doesn’t want to lounge about in orange tiger print?

The glamazon gowns were powerful enough to make men an afterthought — and the collection’s menswear-style designs a distant memory. But masculinity does not go quietly into the night. The sharp-suited look returned, this time with a little more razzmatazz. The power suits were brown with white stripes, and with silvery sequins on the lapels. One jacket was paired with tap pants and a bowler hat for a look that was decidely Fosse. The show closed not with a white dress, but with an off-white wool suit.

While the show included a broad range of looks, the clarity of the idea kept it focused. “It showed off what he does best: the ’20s and ’30s,” Mr. Zee said.

Saks Fifth Avenue’s vice president and women’s fashion director, Michael Fink, also said the show played to the designer’s skill in tailoring and in adapting silhouettes from the Prohibition era. “It was precise and clear,” he said. “It wasn’t over-stylized.”

But over-the-top drama was not entirely absent. For his bow at the end of the show, Mr. Galliano waited until the lights were down and the cheering grew louder before creeping on to the stage. With a flash of the lights, he appeared in micro-mini white shorts and a black smoking jacket while “Englishman in New York” came back for a reprise. It led to a moment in which, in a very Parisian way, the crowd went wild.


The New York Sun

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