The results of the ex-Dior star’s Manhattan internship were on display at de la Renta’s SS 2014 collection in New York, which was an intriguing mix of classic de la Renta touches – fit-and-flare silk organza dresses with floral embroidery, and beaded T-shirts and skirt – married to inimitable Galliano touches such as bar jackets, sculpted peplum, wrap coats and knee-length skirts.
It was a sure sign of Galliano’s devotion to his recovery programme – he has blamed alcoholism for the anti-Semitic rant that made him persona non grata at Dior in 2011 – that he did not take a bow with de la Renta or sit front row, as some had forecast he would.
Maybe that’s why de la Renta would like Galliano to stay on at his house, which was founded in 1965 and where the great man, now 80, is said to be looking for a successor. He certainly sounded like he would endorse Galliano as a king-in-waiting during an interview with New York magazine, saying:
“I think John is one of the most talented men I’ve ever met. I like him very much… I also believe that everyone should have a second chance, especially someone as talented as John. And he has worked so hard on his recovery. I would love for him to stay. Will he? I cannot tell you that today.Because we haven’t gone that far in really discussing it…. We’re still exploring.”
On the strength of the pieces that had the strongest Galliano flavour (posted here), one can only say that a full-fledged return to work at de la Renta would be a triumph for both his brand and John Galliano.
And hats off to Anna Wintour – she who is said to have a heart of ice was the one with enough human warmth in her veins to suggest that de la Renta take Galliano on board. The only other destination that seems to be in play for John Galliano is the role of fashion professor – allegedly Galliano and his colleagues spent hours leading a seminar in de la Renta’s studio on how to tie belts properly – and if that’s so, let’s put a word in for the Hong Kong Design Institute. It would be truly amazing for John Galliano to continue his rehabilitation in the 852.
失足后的首秀
在过去一个月里，Oscar de la Renta充当了处于人生低谷的前迪奥设计师John Galliano的导师和庇护人——后者刚刚在de la Renta的纽约秀场上展出了他的最新系列服装。这是一个惹人遐思的组合，经典de la Renta的感觉——轻薄飘逸的丝纱面料与花卉刺绣，坠上一串串珠子的T恤和裙子——配上独树一帜的Galliano风格，例如束腰夹克（bar jacket），镂空的细腰裙，裹身外套和及膝的裙子。Galliano没有像很多人预测的那样，与de la Renta一同出场致谢或是坐在最前排。而在我看来，这正说明Galliano正在为复出做着周密的筹划——两年前他在酗酒状态下的反犹太言论让他的事业跌落低谷。也许这就是为什么de la Renta想让Galliano留在他的麾下——这位在1965年创设了de la Renta时装屋的伟大人物如今已经是八十高龄，需要寻找一位接班人。
在大家眼中，Oscar de la Renta像是会支持Galliano成为自己的继承人。在与《纽约》杂志的采访中，他曾说道：“我认为约翰是我见过的最有才华的人之一。我很喜欢他，我也相信，每个人都应该有第二次机会，尤其是像约翰这么有才的人。他正在非常努力地筹备复出。我很希望他能留在我的品牌。他会吗？我今天也不知道答案。因为我们还没讨论到那一步⋯⋯我们还在探索。”
这些图片带来了久违的Galliano的气息。如果这位奇才能在de la Renta全面复出，那将是个双赢的局面。对此，我们也要感谢Anna Wintour。据说正是这位面冷心热的时尚巨擘建议de la Renta聘请Galliano的。现在，Galliano除了担任de la Renta的差事，唯一一个为人所知的工作似乎是当时尚教师——据称他和他的同事们最近在de la Renta的工作室举办了一个传授如何系腰带的讲座——如果这是真的，身处香港的我们就可以抱着Galliano能在852继续复出的期待了。
