Anna Wintour said to Grace Coddington: “Isn’t this amazing? A million flowers…” at the Christian Dior Haute Couture Fall-Winter 2013 show. This was Raf Simons debut collection for Dior Couture yesterday at Paris and the setting had walls completely covered with flowers - blue orchids, white mimosas, roses and more.
The show was well attended by all the top editors, movie stars like Sharon Stone and Marione Cotillard and designers like Marc Jacobs and Donatella Versace.
The Collection started out with black tailored looks, stiff peplums, wasp waists. Then came gowns with pointed bustlines, balloon skirts, tie-dye, feathers, hand beading. The ever-versatile cigarette pant and a strappy heel look like Fall/Winter staples. The collection had shades of Raf Simons’ Couture Trilogy for Jil Sander mixed well with signature Dior Bar Jacket.
Yesterday, on the opening day of the Paris Couture Week Autumn-Winter 2011-12 Christian Dior for the first time in 15 years had a Couture show minus John Galliano.
Bill Gaytten, Galliano’s assistant for 23 years stepped in to replace the maestro – and pulled off an impossibly difficult task with ease and canny sense of knowing what sells. In fact Gaytten took a dig at Galliano by stating that the atelier had spent time developing new techniques, rather than plundering archives. 
The collection started with a colourful, pop-art print with tutti-frutti embroideries on skirts and structured, embroidered mosaic-effect jackets before graduating onto romantic mille-feuille rose-petal effect taffeta fluttering ballgowns. Sydney Toledano, the boss at Dior gave Bill Gaytten a warm hug post show.
John Galliano has been fired by Christian Dior. Company C.E.O. Sidney Toledano, who is of Jewish heritage, called Galliano’s behavior “odious”and said in a statement, “I unequivocally condemn the statements made by John Galliano, which are in total contradiction to the longstanding core values of Christian Dior.” Notwithstanding its sudden lack of a creative director, Dior intends to go ahead with its fashion show this Friday, 4th of March 2011. A spokesperson for John Galliano‘s namesake fashion brand, which is financially backed by Dior, says that Galliano‘s show on Sunday (6th March 2011) will go ahead.
A video surfaced yesterday in which a very drunk Galliano says, “I love Hitler,” and talks about all the people, “your mothers, your forefathers,” who should be “gassed.”
At the Oscars, Natalie Portman — who recently became the face of Miss Dior Chérie perfume, did notwear a Dior dress but a Rodarte one. Portman released a statement last night that read: “I am deeply shocked and disgusted by the video of John Galliano’s comments that surfaced today. In light of this video, and as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr. Galliano in any way. I hope at the very least, these terrible comments remind us to reflect and act upon combating these still-existing prejudices that are the opposite of all that is beautiful.”
As for his ongoing legal fight, Galliano yesterday went to police headquarters in the neighborhood where he is alleged to have screamed racial and anti-Semitic epithets during three separate incidents. He arrived around 2 p.m., and waded through a crowd of photographers and reporters accompanied by his lawyer. Police had previously announced that Galliano was to be interviewed face-to-face with two of his accusers, Géraldine Bloch and Philippe Virgitti. The designer left the station around 7 p.m. He made no statements to the press, but his lawyer did say that Galliano “never made an anti-Semitic remark in more than ten years at Dior.”
Christian Dior designer John Galliano has filed a defamation lawsuit against the Parisian couple who accused him of anti-Semitic and racist slurs, says Mr. Galliano’s lawyer, Stephane Zerbib. Dior’s enfant terrible is fighting to save his reputation – and possibly his job. He was suspended yesterday from Dior pending the results of a police investigation into a bar brawl at Paris’ trendy La Perle watering hole on Thursday night.
Dior, in an effort to defend its own image, said it enacted its zero-tolerance policy towards racism and anti-Semitism.
Galliano’s alleged comments have rocked the fashion world.It has become the TALK of Milan Fashion Week. Dolce & Gabbana designer Stefano Gabbana Twitted, “I’m so sorry for John Galliano!!” Others were less empathetic with the British designer.
John Galliano, who had consumed alcohol, was questioned for alleged violent behavior and making alleged anti-Semitic remarks to two people during an argument, an official said. Mr. Galliano was released after the questioning; the names of the two people weren’t disclosed. French newspaper “Le Figaro” reported today that Mr. Galliano provided three written statements from witnesses who denied that the designer made any anti-Semitic insults.
Dior’s fashion show is scheduled for Friday. It is unclear whether Mr. Galliano will take his catwalk bow. Yesterday, Mr. Zerbib said the designer would be on the catwalk “like always.”
On Thursday night at 9 pm, French police briefly detained John Galliano for alleged assault and making anti-Semitic remarks at a Paris cafe – La Perle. According to a police source: “We arrived extremely quickly and managed to break up the disturbance. Galliano was briefly arrested and then released pending charges for assault. Witnesses said he swore heavily, using anti-Jewish insults, before attacking a couple. Both have provided witness statements, as have a number of other people at the bar, including staff.” It was the couple who filed the complaint. The Paris police spokesman, meanwhile, confirmed that Galliano is facing criminal charges and would appear in court on a date to be fixed.
In response, Dior has suspended Galliano. House CEO Sidney Toledano said in a statement: ”Dior affirms with the utmost conviction its policy of zero tolerance towards any anti-Semitic or racist words or behaviour. Pending the results of the inquiry, Christian Dior has suspended John Galliano from his responsibilities.”
The Fall 2011 Dior show Galliano was working on is scheduled to take place on March 4, and his own collection’s show is on the Paris Fashion Week calendar for March 6; the fate of those events is not known yet. The alleged remarks also bring under question Natalie Portman’s relationship with Dior — the Israeli-born, Jewish actress is the current face of the Miss Dior Cherie perfume and is rumored to be wearing a Christian Dior dress to the Oscars.