Dior - Fall 2009 Collection

The House of Dior was based strongly on the principles of couture, so it’s no surprise that it’s Spring 2009 haute couture show was a grand promenade of colossal sculptured skirts and oversized sleeves. It’s a staple of the Dior tradition, international economic downturn or not. A few months later, when the models first graced the runway for the Fall 2009 ready-to-wear show, the mood was slightly different. With a more approachable color palette and softer, looser shapes, John Galliano was using the ready-to-wear opportunity for what it was intended for: commercialization, and yet, it exhibited more growth and maturity than past collections.

The show presented Galliano’s signature immaculate attributes; tailoring, proportion, and the element of fantasy that we’ve come to anticipate after weeks of other designers vying for cracks into the stylista marketplace. With all considerable comparisons to Poiret aside, this collection was an original mix of Eastern Asian, Indian, and Middle Eastern forms, and most importantly, a Westernized perspective. Exaggerated, asymmetric Mandarin collars adorned topcoats, metallic embroidery graced the hemlines of flowing gowns, and shiny harem pants breezed down the runway. These techniques can easily be overdone, especially any application of a harem pant. Instead, they were used to emphasize the elegance of an outfit’s entirety.

The colors of the collection didn’t so much change as compared to other, more vibrant past collections, but rather expanded to incorporate understatement and subtle cool. There was still a stunning spectrum of warm colors and a rich array of purple shades, only this time, they were juxtaposed with a surprisingly confident scale of grays. Some garments from Dior’s Spring 2009 ready-to-wear collection showcased a more demure experiment with light, almost pasty grays, but nothing comparable to the quiet strength exuded from a selection of Fall’s ensembles.

Prints made a statement in this collection. In past Dior shows, prints have taken the backseat to embroidery and embellishment. If they were ever utilized, they were not memorable, since they were meant to compliment rather than attract any main focus. This season, simple dress shapes popped with semi-Southwestern prints in orange-reds. Along with prominent prints, there was successful pairings of textures with fabrics. The usage of fur was appropriate, despite some strong disparagement from certain audiences to ANY utilization of fur. This is the genius of Galliano; his work is known for excess, and yet, he used minimal amounts of an exteme “fabric” to emphasize other pieces. In no way does he allow it to speak for itself.

The Dior Fall 2009 ready-to-wear collection was another step in John Galliano’s goal of bringing a fashionable dreamworld closer to earth. Most importantly, the integration of cultural references has expanded Dior’s design aesthetic, instead of the usual usage of one main inspiration to base a collection upon (i.e. geisha). It’s refreshing to see distinctions between each collection, something Galliano does well. Growth can and should be a goal of all fashion designers.