How to feel about Galliano now?

I've put this post off for a couple of days as I wasn't really sure how I felt and I wanted to give myself time to think about it. But I did want to discuss Galliano's Margiela return and what I made of it. As kids we're told to forgive and forget - to move on and not hold grudges. Kids' movies are often sprinkled with messages about how we should give people second chances. Redemption is a theme all over every medium known to man.

But is this really true of adult life? Are there some things that are just unforgivable? I would argue that there are. Yet. is it even our place to choose whether or not to forgive people we do not know and will probably never meet?

It's not my place to judge the failings of others, their lapses in judgement. We merely have to trust that the structures around us (ideally) will deal with these indiscretions and make the legal judgement calls for us all. But I often struggle with these issues when it comes to artists or creators. Can you separate art and artist? Can you enjoy the work of someone who has done things you morally object to? My normal way of rationalising this is to consider how much of a fan of their work I am. If I find I can easily live without it, I do so and give the matter no further consideration. Otherwise I consider if their behaviours that I disagree with are continued, if they have apologised and if I am putting money directly into the pockets of a terrible person.

In the case of Galliano, I tried to judge how I felt objectively about his return to fashion. I tried to make sure I wasn't merely being wooed by his talent and forgetting everything I stood for. Of course, my liking his collection for Margiela (which I did) isn't going to impact him financially as a person as I won't be buying anything from it and that's not really the point of couture anyway. But, my having a voice (no matter how small) on the internet will have some teeny bit of an impact and I wanted to use it lucidly and fairly. Galliano has been missed - a rare and wonderful thing in fashion. To be so creative and impactful that your absence is noted is not something many can truly boast in the industry. The excitement his billing added to the season is not to be underestimated when so much of fashion is hype or ennui. To label him a genius is probably not to over-exaggerate. That he has apologised for the infamous incident that led to his disappearance for the past few years must also be considered and that he has returned to fashion with work firmly in mind and theatrics of old left behind. Much as we might miss that aspect of his shows - this just all seems so very respectful, if not remorseful.

Then there's the collection itself. The collision of two such big names. Two names that seem incompatible of paper. And yet, the garments speak for themselves. There's that whimsy and sense of romance of a different era that we've missed, made into a slightly different beast - more modern, sharper. You sigh at the beauty while also thinking, "Damn, that's a nice blazer. I could wear that". Wearable whimsy. Something closer to the lost art of couture that Cardin spoke of. That the pieces remind me of a fairytale with coiling, roiling beasts, jesters, warriors, witches and royalty present endear them to me further. There's something akin to storytelling present. I almost didn't want to like this collection but I cannot help it - I'm utterly enamoured. That Galliano can be so true to himself and his new house is no mean feat and that he is the first named designer for Margiela since the departure of its namesake says something. It speaks to his skill, his long servitude of fashion and the value still connected to his name.

So, where does that leave me? Somewhat conflicted still but unwilling to fight my love for what I see. Encouraged by how it was handled. Wanting to believe in second chances.

And dying to step into that fairytale on the runway.

(Images via vogue.co.uk)

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Fashback: Dior Couture A/W 2007

Problematic as Galliano may be, he is undeniably and unbelievably talented. There's true genius in his work. One particular moment of shining wonder was his A/W 2007 Dior Couture show. Now, the moment you enter the world of couture, the potential for genius is greater than any RTW collection might normally be. Couture is the freedom to create more as an artist would, rather than pandering to the satisfaction of buyers and customers alike. It's a celebration of the medium of dress.

It is probably apparent by now, especially if you follow me on tumblr (which you should, by the way), that I'm into the 18th century. My dissertation research is based in that period and though I'm a self-proclaimed modern minimalist, I have such a week spot for the fashions. Coppola's Marie Antoinette is one of my all-time favourite movies and I reblog any shoot inspired by her or the era. Ergo, the squeeing upon setting eyes on Galliano's collection.

I love the references to masquerade (the one night a year where tightly laced upper echelons of society let loose publicly - though masked - and got up to all kinds of debauchery), the elaborate hairstyles and headpieces of the era (fascinators, I raise you one better), the pastel shades, the bows, flounces and frills. Some looks were abstracted and modernised more obviously while others took silhouettes and ideas more directly and ran with them. And yes, some elements come from later and earlier periods but I doubt accuracy or limiting himself was a concern. Instead, spectacle was.

I remember seeing a video of poet Lily Myers talking about how women learn now to be untroublesome, to edit themselves and not take up too much space. These clothes recall a time before the Victorians and repression after repression when French women were welcome (to a degree) to contribute to intellectual debates among men and took up massive amounts of space shamelessly, without shame and men and women both dressed up elaborately without apology. I sometimes wonder how different the world would be if the good parts of the 18th century weren't later undermined? Where would we be, where would I be, now?

This has turned into somewhat of an ode to Galliano's collection but I feel it deserves it. He took a bunch of Supers (one profession where women consistently earn more than men) and celebrated women, celebrated a lost moment in history and being truly couture. But there's also bite and a sense of humour present. Something dark and perhaps referencing the past but wary of it at the same time. Not mindlessly nostalgic for something that may never have even existed.

Maybe I read more into/too much into clothes than most but they are literally part of the fabric of our lives. We carry them around with us, hold them against our bodies. Clothing is intimate, physical and sentimental. And fashion has been an expression of ourselves since before people actively talked about self-expression and the individual.

So, take a look-see, be awed and enjoy x

(Images via vogue.co.uk)