The models walked down the catwalk to the tune of Lana Del Rey’s Video Games in a predominantly monochrome, slightly minimalist collection, which is a far cry from what Christian Dior Haute Couture usually has in store for us. 

Yes, it was different to what we’re used to, but the collection couldn’t really be faulted, so we commend acting creative director Bill Gaytten for his fine efforts. It takes a brave man to step into John Galliano’s shoes, and considering he had the weight of the world (or Dior, at least) on his shoulders, we don’t think he cracked under the pressure. In fact, we think his collections get better and more evolved every season, so he must be doing something right.

“It’s meant to be x-ray Dior, ” Bill Gaytten said after the show. “All the structure of iconic Dior, thanks to lots of fittings, but all of it see-through. I haven’t slept for weeks… it’s been a lot of waking up at 3 am.”

The collection was comprised of sheer fabrics, full skirts and cinched waists and was generally a dramatic but understated display.

How cute is Karlie Kloss’s outfit in our main pic? You can check out the rest of our favourite looks in our gallery below. What are your thoughts?

[Show as slideshow]

[Telegraph] 

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Among the clinking glasses of endless mulled wine toasts, pre-Christmas mince pies and secret peeling of presents under the Christmas tree, there’s just one more thing left to do this year: reminisce.

2011 has been a significant year for the fashion world. Craze-inducing collaborations, a royal wedding remembered more for the dress than the extra public holiday and fashion losses so large the entire industry collectively wept.

And what have we done with all that? Rounded it up, of course. Below, we bring you fashion’s best and most moments shocking of 2011.

1. The royal wedding dress

April 29^th will forever be marked in our minds as a date that made unparalleled fashion history. Alexander McQueen’s creative head, Sarah Burton, was spotted entering the Goring Hotel merely hours before the royal wedding took place, sparking rumours she’d designed the dress. Indeed, she was bestowed with this burdensome duty and boy, did she deliver! The exquisite appliquéd lace dress acquired Burton deserved acclaim in the fashion world, culminating in an unsurprisingly big win at the British Fashion Awards last month.  A big year for Sarah Burton – an even bigger year for fashion.

2. John Galliano – Dismissal from Dior and namesake label

Probably the most gulp-inducing, tear-jerking headline to emerge from the fashion world this year was the dismissal of Dior design master, John Galliano. Arrested in a Parisian cafe after allegedly assaulting and racially abusing a couple using anti-Semitic remarks, the allegations against the couture creator were all founded in court, resulting in his rapid fall though the echelons of the very industry that homed him. His immediate suspension from Dior, and later from his namesake label, sparked an emotional outcry amongst Galliano’s closest industry friends. Whilst the hunt for his replacement is said to be in its final stages, (Raf Simons of Jil Sander is the supposed ‘chosen one’), the question still remains: will Galliano’s replacement be able to recreate the same magic on Dior’s catwalk as he did?

3. Collaborations: Versace for H&M; Marni for H&M; Target for Missoni and more

Fashion pairs spawned faster this year than the Kardashian clan: Missoni x Target; Alexa Chung x Madewell; Amy Winehouse x Fred Perry; David Beckham x H&M and the most craze-provoking, queue- generating of all, Versace x H&M. We loved them all, and now with a stylistically onward view for 2012, we’re already queuing up for Marni x H&M, available worldwide from March 8.

4. Naomi Campbell Cadbury’s controversy

Life wouldn’t be quite the same without a whiny super creating a fuss – off shoot this time. For Naomi Campbell found the time, among the blood diamonds fiasco, to accuse the world’s most famous confectioner of being racially blinkered, after filing a legal complaint against Cadbury for its allegedly racist advert, one she described as “insulting and hurtful” for supposedly likening her to a chocolate bar. Her allegations were unfounded and the Advertising Standards Authority cleared the advert in question of any racial wrongdoing, stating the advert referred to Naomi’s demanding personality and not her race.

5. Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty record-breaking exhibition

Held in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the much-anticipated Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition broke all attendance records. Twenty years worth of the oft-stylistically outspoken and immensely talented late designer’s work was on show to the public between May and July, with a week-long extension into August due to the sheer number of visitor McQueen’s vision attracted. Even better for we Brits, the exhibition is set to arrive in the UK in 2013.

6. Ads that stirred – Miu Miu, Benetton, Marc Jacobs and Marks and Spencer

Controversy is fashion’s second name, and nothing did it better than a few adverts this year that pushed all the right public backlash buttons. Hailee Steinfeld’s ad for Miu Miu was promptly banned after the ASA (Advertising Standards Agency) claimed the image of the 14-year-old sat on rail tracks was “unsafe” and would encourage young children do the same. Marc Jacobs’ Oh, Lola ad, which featured 17-year-old Dakota Fanning with a bottle of said perfume resting between her legs, also missed the seal of approval, after the ASA banned it on grounds of “sexualising children.” Benetton evoked a few gasping stares with the help of some Photoshop trickery, as it featured controversial images of world leaders lip-locking as part of its UNHATE campaign, while Marks and Spencer was on the wrong side of the ASA after a lingerie advert that appeared on the side of the bus was banned for being “socially irresponsible” and “overtly sexual.”

7. Closure of Arcadia stores

Billionaire Topshop boss, Sir Phillip Green, heavy-heartedly announced the proposed closure of more than 250 Arcadia stores over the coming three years after experiencing a 40% drop in profits compared with last year. Challenging trading conditions and the recent winter drought are part-responsible for the decision, but the fate of beloved stores including Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge is still undecided.

8. Vogue Archives

Imagine flicking through issues of Vogue that came out before you were even born. 2011 saw our imagination turn in to reality as Conde Nast announced the launch of a Vogue archive spanning over a century, complete with a sophisticated search function that allows fashion history aficionados to look up information by filtering on designer, decade, photographer and so much more. The mouth-watering resource comes with an eye-watering $1575 annual access fee.

9. Fashion Crimes – Marc Jacobs’ collection stolen and the D&G boys dodge the tax man

Nothing can possibly be crueller than having something infused with painstaking hours of hard graft, soaked in blood, sweat and tears snatched in an instant. Marc Jacobs’s S/S 2012 collection met this very dark fate in November, after the entire collection was stolen whilst in transit from Paris to London. The hefty heist resulted in the cancellation of the press day that had been scheduled for November 17, leaving a trail of fuming editors. On a more fiscal scale, the Dolce & Gabbana duo are once again in dangerous waters after a judge’s decision from April over alleged tax evasion offences totaling €416 million was overturned by the Italian Supreme Court. This means Dolce Domenico and Stefano Gabbana will appear in court once again, and if found guilty, could face a fine of up to €1 million and a prison sentence of up to three years.

10. Victoria Beckham – the fashion status cementer

2011 has been an eventful year for Mrs. Beckham. A new mother, once again, an ever devoted wife, a particularly talented designer and astute business woman, she has an unusual calm about her in the face of a travel-saturated, fashion-orientated, hectic lifestyle. This year saw Victoria Beckham take the reigns of her fashion career firmly from the tight grip of the fashion elite into her own hands, as she presented a well-received and highly acclaimed spring/summer 2012 collection at New York Fashion Week in September, alongside gaining much praise for her luxuriously crafted handbags. July saw the birth of a longed-for daughter and baby sister for her three sons, Harper Seven, while next spring will see the launch of her much-awaited diffusion line, Victoria by Victoria Beckham. Although she’s been in the spotlight ever since her awkwardly stiff Spice Girl heydays, it’s safe to say that Victoria Beckham is one to watch in the coming fashion seasons – something to which her Designer Brand Award she received at the 2011 British Fashion Awards is testament.

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We love it when the claws come out in the fashion world, although we don’t believe Valentino meant anything malicious by his comments regarding Raf Simons’ potential employment at Dior. 

Valentino just isn’t so sure that Jil Sander’s Raf Simons would be the best person to continue from where John Galliano left off.

“I’m not sure – it’s an amazing job, I don’t know if he would be the right person for it,” Valentino told Vogue. “John Galliano is difficult to replace. I think it’s important not to jump into things. It needs to be a logical continuation of the brand. But who am I to say anything? I guess we all just have to wait and see.”

Nicely said – and very diplomatic of him. We too noted that if Raf Simons took over, Christian Dior would have a very different feel to it as his designs are far more futuristic and modern compared to the classic, clean silhouettes, prints and palettes found under Galliano’s direction.

As Valentino said, we will have to wait and see how things unfold.

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Raf Simons is apparently on the verge of signing on the dotted line that will see him take the helm at Christian Dior, after the French fashion house has been trying for some time to replace former creative director John Galliano. If the rumours are true, it would mean that Raf Simons will have to leave his current creative director position at Jil Sander, which he has held for the past six years. 

Earlier rumours suggested that Haiden Ackerman, Riccardo Tisci, Alexander Wang or Marc Jacobs could potentially take the position, but those rumours have all been squashed.

WWD reported today that 43-year-old Belgian designer Raf Simons is currently negotiating the small details in a contract with Christian Dior, so we could potentially hear an official announcement any day now. If he does indeed take the helm, it could mean a whole new look for Dior, with more modern and futuristic takes on the classic designs we have been used to seeing in the past.

Only time will tell what the future will hold for Christian Dior, but we hope to kick off the new year with an official announcement regarding the new creative director. Fingers crossed!

[Vogue] 

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When John Galliano was sensationally dropped by both Christian Dior and his eponymous label, we had a sneaky suspicion he wouldn’t be invited to decorate the Claridge’s Christmas tree for the third year in a row either. 

However, we are pleased with who the swanky Mayfair hotel have signed up to do the honours instead, as it’s none other than Lanvin’s very own Alber Elbaz. WWD reports that the designer has been a long-time guest of the hotel, and will create a colourful tree that will be decorated with marionettes wearing Claridge’s uniforms with a Lanvin makeover. Sounds exciting!

“The concept of the Christmas tree decoration is to create an installation that carries the spirit of Lanvin, an infusion of tradition and modernity at the same time,” Elbaz said. The tree is to emanate and bring heartwarming joy to all who work and stay as guests at Claridge’s hotel: It’s my way to wish them a very Merry Christmas.”

The tree will be unveiled on the morning of November 22nd and will stay there until January 2nd, so we haven’t got long to wait to see the work of art. What do you think of the initial sketch above?

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Disgraced designer John Galliano may have been lying low recently, but the same can’t be said for his eponymous label. 

The house of Galliano has just launched a brand new e-commerce site, very aptly named the Galliano Gazette, which offers users the chance to browse and shop the brand new collections, as well as the chance to possibly snag a bargain in the ‘Enjoy SS 2011 Sales’ segment.

“The House of John Galliano is thrilled to be able to launch itself into cyberspace, and is excited to bring the elements of the Galliano Universe to e-commerce,” reads a press release about the site launch.

Upon first glance, the website – designed an run by e-commerce provider The Level Group – fits the effortless, simple chic design we associate with the label itself, and is easy to use and navigate.  While it doesn’t give Galliano fans an insight into the current goings on in his world, the site does feature some information on his current replacement Bill Gaytten, but we assume this will be the place to get your JG news from as and when it happens.

[Diary] 

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Dior job or no Dior job, Marc Jacobs’ career is going from strength to strength, as he is turning his talents to acting!

“I got cast in a role in a movie,” the designer told a reporter at the WSJ Magazine Innovator of the Year Awards. “They’re filming next week and I’m excited. I get to play a character that’s not myself at all.”

This exciting announcement makes a nice little change from the ‘is he/isn’t he heading to Dior‘ topic that seems to be on everyone’s lips these days. Marc Jacobs has denied replacing John Galliano at Christian Dior, while the house of Dior is also keeping schtum about its new recruit, so we’re glad to find something Marc Jacobs is more than happy to talk about.

We don’t know any more details other than what MJ revealed to that very lucky reporter, but we are very excited to say the least.

Watch this space for more details as and when they emerge!

[Catwalk Queen] 

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