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This is where it all begins. In January 1997, fifty years after the New Look, John Galliano showed his first couture collection for Christian Dior. Many in Paris were unhappy that an Englishman had been handed the most French of houses. He had eight weeks to make fifty looks and prove them wrong.
The show was held in the ballroom of the Grand Hôtel, rebuilt as an oversized version of Dior’s grey couture salon. The idea was a meeting of two worlds: the feminine, structured Dior silhouette and the beadwork of the Maasai. Nipped-waist Bar jackets and full skirts were worn with tall beaded collars and corsets. There were slinky bias-cut gowns in the Galliano manner, and rich colour throughout.
The most famous dress is the chartreuse “Absinthe” gown, embroidered and trimmed with mink. Nicole Kidman wore a version of it to the Oscars two months later, and it changed what a red carpet dress could be.
The press loved it, and the doubters went quiet. Looking back, every part of his Dior is already here: the history, the travel, the theatre and the romance. It is a debut that still feels exciting.
See the full Spring 1997 collection on Firstview.
Pictures courtesy of Vogue Runway
We do not own the rights to any of these images and they have been used in good faith. Every effort has been made to ensure that all images are used with proper credits. If you are the rightful owner of any image used on our site and wish to have it removed, please contact us at ayerhsmagazine@gmail.com and we will promptly remove it. We are a non-commercial, passion-driven, independent fashion blog and do not intend to infringe any copyright. Thank you for your understanding.
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