The enchanting setting of the Opéra Comique was the perfect place to present John Galliano‘s Spring-Summer 2011 collection. In an intimate atmosphere, the designer’s muses, perched on vertiginous heels, paraded beneath the theater’s gold moldings in a staging that highlighted the extreme femininity of baroque silhouettes.
As usual, the British designer was inspired by a woman, Maria Lani, an actress from Central Europe in the 1920s. Maria Lani had convinced some 50 painters and sculptors of her time, including Henri Matisse, Fernand Léger, Giorgio di Chirico, Marc Chagall and Modigliani, to paint her portrait, on the pretext that they would be used in a fantasy film, the script of which was based on the idea that the heroine would come to life from her inanimate representations. But Maria Lani was no actress, just a stenographer, and no film was planned. Shortly afterwards, she fled with over fifty works to the United States, never to be seen again.
To pay homage to this fabulous deception, the famous designer re-enacted the film’s scenario, drawing inspiration from the paintings. He wanted each outfit to be“as individual as a portrait“, multiplying hats, veils, pink bibis, strapless dresses, gypsy scarves and fur collars, all reminiscent of the style of the Roaring Twenties. Dark-lipped make-up and theatrical staging with poses and picture frames bring each portrait to life.
Maria Lani appears in every silhouette of this fabulous, exuberant collection of light, flouncy dresses playing with transparencies and asymmetry. Prints are floral, sometimes delicately embroidered with a butterfly motif, and accessories multiply. Pants are extra-wide, veiled in black tulle and worn with small leather jackets. Small jackets are often finely belted or delicately adorned with a scarf.
Ample lamé sarouels, one-shoulder sarouel jumpsuits and beige mink-trimmed sarouels complete a wardrobe so aptly named for its dressy presence. Orange, flamboyant red and pink bring warmth to a collection dominated by neutral tones of white, cream and beige for evening wear, even if a hint of water green sometimes awakens a rather classic silhouette. Black is also present, as in this belted trench adorned with pink floral embroidery and finished with an asymmetrical cascade of ruffles.
In case of spring rain, John Galliano, true to his London years, imagines Maria Lani in a light, transparent gray trench coat shortened in organza, with a polka-dot scarf subtly serving as a belt. And if it’s a sunny day, she’ll shelter her delicate skin under an umbrella.
For chic evenings, the designer imagines white dresses encrusted with crystals, silver pearl embroidery or gilded metal, inspired by Brancusi’s metal sculptures. A dress in fine transparent silk finished with ostrich feathers is an excellent, more discreet alternative.
And as every show deserves an exceptional finale, John Galliano’s silhouette, reminiscent of Chaplin’s Kid, appeared in a shower of golden confetti. After all, isn’t the designer fashion’s enfant terrible?
Once again, John Galliano has shown us the extent of his talent with a collection that is baroque and exuberant to the max, yet exalts extreme femininity. The cuts are precise and reflect all his savoir-faire. There’s no doubt that if Maria Lani lived in our time, she would have been one of John Galliano’s muses, representing the daring, brilliant, no-nonsense woman.
Marie-Odile Radom
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