John Galliano unveiled his latest ready-to-wear collection for Christian Dior in characteristically theatrical style, seemingly taking inspiration from everything from Elvis Presley to Thirties-era film divas.
Sporting an anything-goes palette of hot pink, bright yellow, sea green and electric blue, models such as Gisele and Karolina Kurkova were unrecognisable as they sashayed down the Paris catwalk with rockabilly pompadour hairdos and colourful Jean Harlow-meets-Russian doll makeup.
Galliano's Dior autumn is all about technicolour shades, animal prints and oversize fur collars, with a splash of metallic gold and Las Vegas kitsch – neon leopardskin print bowling bags with oversized hanging dice for example – thrown in for good measure.
While ladylike chic seems to be the ubiquitous trend for most designers, Galliano's vampy creations were unabashedly bold if not rebellious. Inspired by illustrated Vogue covers from the 1900s, the designer proposes a retro silhouettte with exaggerated proportions, sending massive fur collars, voluminous gold blousons and brightly-hued ruffled gowns down the catwalk.