Sunday, April 27, 2008

Merchant with dreams

The answer to the age old question of what it is that women really wish for, might be more elegant than some might imagine. Why devising complicated theories, which in the end might only hold true for very few of them, when the truth might be so near that a child could understand it? There is something which a little girl dressed like a princess and a woman that just spent two moth’s salary on a fabulous dress have in common. They want to live their dreams!

It can be about being a princess with a pink dress, small crown and a pony or about walking the red carpet and being the center of world’s attention. A girl, mademoiselle or lady always dreams. Dressing up in harmony with those dreams might only be the first step of living them, but often this first step is all it takes to feel like a princess, movie star, an icon like Jacqueline Kennedy or perhaps just a pretty girl on a beach with a big hat and everyone’s curiosity. And this sensation, this breeze that feels like living one’s dream is what can entirely make your day.

To create clothes that would let the wearer feel her dreams coming true cannot be an easy task. But if set as the foremost ambition, wonderful garments could be fashioned. In past years, John Galliano did just that. Judging from his own costumes he wears at all his shows he is a very poetic dreamer himself. And he made his concept very clear: “Reality is SO overrated”. Many of those who watched his catwalk shows both at Christian Dior and John Galliano admitted of being kept dreaming for most of the time, whether about wearing the clothes themselves or about seeing them everywhere around.

But this is not only about dreams. His fantasy is completely let loose as well. That not only enhances the visions he creates, but also heavily imprints them to represent his very personal and authentic style and sense of fashion. So often you can tell that a dress is made by Galliano without looking at the label. Especially in John Galliano collections, one can have a hard time looking for a contemporary trend. It only manifests very subtly as otherwise it would be too much of a constraint for imagination.

The imagination of everyone around is provoked at all times during his shows. It is as if he tried to put as much of his inspirations on stage together with the models. Overwhelmingly during John Galliano presentations, the catwalk transforms to be a theatre stage with individual pieces of clothing presented in their very own picture frames. The images are perfected by acting models and many visual effects. As an impressionist, John not only shows the dress but also the way it makes people feel.

Often one has to look diligently for a while before finding the garment that is actually part of the collection. And suddenly you are exactly where John wants you to be: Soaking the entire character of the collection instead of just individual pieces, imagining what it would feel like to wear them.



P.S.: This article was sent to Vogue.com for consideration. Perhaps I was thinking way over my head. I received no response. Therefore all comments as to the content and style will be highly appreciated as I thrive for discussion.

P.P.S.: All models are form John Galliano S/S 2008 collection. They are published purely for illustrative purposes and I do not claim their authorship. Should any copyright claim be made I will remove them immediately.

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