“Things change, move on, that’s life…” Bill Gayten
On Friday June 24, 2011, the Maison Galliano invited us to the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild for the first Galliano Homme collection without John Galliano. Following the designer’s legal problems in March 2011, John Galliano left the artistic direction of his eponymous brand to one of his former right-hand men Bill Gaytten. A graduate of London’s Bartlett School of Architecture, he had worked alongside John Galliano in the brand’s creative studio for 23 years.
Perpetuating the brand’s style and DNA, while bringing his own personality to the collections, is the tough task facing every new artistic director when he or she joins a prestigious fashion house. With his in-depth knowledge of the house’s codes, Bill Gaytten has succeeded in imbuing his signature style into the collective work of the design studio. The Maison Galliano codes are there: frock coats, military jackets, coats and light knits make up the bulk of a dynamic and resolutely pop Spring-Summer 2012 collection. But John Galliano’s spirit and silhouette hover over this Big Splash collection, which pays homage to the Swinging London of the 60s and the various Pop Art movements.
Slender silhouettes with slicked-back hair under feathered hats, bullfighting and military jackets, vests worn next to the skin, recall like a leitmotif the silhouette of the founder of a house that has carved out a place for itself in Parisian menswear. As a final tribute to such a creative icon, the last two mannequins sport long, straight hair held in place by a black forehead band, like perfect doubles of the famous designer.
With no context marked by John Galliano, this collection is articulated in four soberly staged tableaux. The first models step forward wearing military jackets and large feathered hats, to which are added oversized pants, linen coats, moccasins and knitted sweaters in a very London 60s spirit. Stripes and checks mingle with multiple prints. Immersing us in the atmosphere of the Peter Blake studio, Bill Gaytten presents us with a Galliano man artist with a pop universe akin to that of“Sgt Pepper“. Combinations and superimpositions dominate in dark tones, with the color red taking center stage.
From bohemian artist, the Galliano man becomes chic artist, taking us across the Atlantic to the aseptic, artificial world of L.A., which David Hockney, whose painting A Bigger Splash inspired the collection’s title, would not have disowned. Long locks of hair parted on the side, ultra-long socks worn over immaculate Bermuda shorts, two-tone moccasins and a polka-dot bow tie are the panoply of a more preppy Homme Galliano, who wears round glasses and loves suits with classic cuts and pastel hues.
Hair is tousled with a bed-hopping effect, and models present undergarments always in pastel and pop tones. Silk, cotton jersey, prints and striped boxers are perfect for staying at home.
Inspired by the underground spirit of London’s Mayfair and Soho nightclubs, Bill Gaytten offers us a more seductive Galliano man. The dark, tortured side of the 60s rocker closes the show. With ties untied, tuxedo jackets worn shirtless and all-black outfits, the rock icon was elegant and relaxed. With his eyes rimmed in black, the Galliano man liked to wear slim-fit pants, sometimes embroidered in gold or silver, and barefoot loafers.
In a vibrant homage to the Pop Art movement of the ’60s, Bill Gaytten offers us an eclectic but more rock’n’roll and dynamic collection. Having assimilated Galliano’s codes to perfection, his new artistic director has transcended them in a softer-than-usual but not uninteresting version. Behind a certain concern for emancipation, this Spring-Summer 2012 collection pays a much stronger tribute to a personality who created the very essence of this house: John Galliano. We can only say thank you.
Bill Gaytten will head up the brand’s men’s, women’s and children’s ready-to-wear lines, and will present his first women’s collection at Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012 in September.
Photo credit:
Show: with the courtesy of Galliano Hommes.
Marie-Odile Radom
Cette publication est également disponible en : Français (French)
