“It’s the highest form of dressmaking, but for men . . . I hope it’s going to define a new sensuality, a new sexuality.” This statement is mushed together from a podcast John Galliano released to press, fragments of a stream of consciousness conversation about technique, and why he’s elevated his Artisanal men’s collection to couture level. Part of it was down to the epiphany about the shifting codes of formalwear he had seen at the Met Gala. “Seeing the youth present, and their interpretation of black-tie . . . a seismic change from the last time,” he said; another part, his daily dialogues with the interns in his studio at Maison Margiela. And plainly, the biggest: He was just raring to exercise his skill and imagination in a fresh corner of a field he knows so well.
Remember, Galliano comes from the gender-bending club generation of the ’80s, so having his say in the new age of gender fluidity is timely. But there were no boys in dresses on his runway—that’s been done by the new kids in London. Instead, the collection put forward a different sense of masculinity, based around the typologies of British tailoring, hunting, and fishing, and then accessing all the richness of decoration and cutting that is normally the preserve of women’s haute couture ateliers. That, and vinyl and leather. Result: an extreme, sexy glamour.
Galliano’s often talked recently about being inspired by the accidental gestures of “dressing in haste.” The action of throwing a jacket or coat over the shoulders was formalized into shape—pieces that looked regular from the front, but had the sleeves melded into cape form in the back. Something about that honored the tradition of Martin Margiela, whose prowess in making creative interventions in immaculate tailoring while he was at Hermès is now being exhibited at the Musée des Arts Decoratifs.
Still, this runway show was also an exhibition of Galliano’s own accumulation of powers. There were flashbacks to his moments with corsetry, with bullfighting and flamenco influences, his years in haute couture at Dior, and most importantly, the bias cutting he mastered and brought to the forefront of fashion in the ’90s. Now, he’s remastered the bias for men.
For esoteric observers, the culmination of that achievement was the green suit in which the checks ran diagonally and met in a perfect grid across the back seam of the jacket. Underneath: a sheer turtleneck glinting with a scattering of gold crystal, hemmed in ostrich feather, and on the feet, gilded Western boots. Possibly it was the most conservative of all the looks, but it was a technical subversion that would win plaudits from the establishment of Savile Row. A signpost to the future.
