Carine Roitfeld: Stylist

In 2007, Rizzoli published a fascinating book, Stylist: The Interpreters of Fashion, which collects the work of sixteen legendary image makers as selected by Style.com, and of course Carine Roitfeld made this exclusive list. Browsing the lavish volume is a fashion education unto itself, with influential stylists such as Polly Mellen, Grace Coddington, Edward Enninful, Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, and Karl Templer sharing memorable collaborations and sources of inspiration via interviews with Sarah Mower. Among the talented photographers that collaborated on these iconic images are Cecil Beaton, Richard Avedon, Steven Meisel, Annie Leibovitz, Mario Testino, Bruce Weber, Steven Klein, and Juergen Teller. Raul Martinez provided the creative direction for Stylist and Anna Wintour penned the foreword, in which she admits that as a fashion sittings editor she was never particularly good, although she certainly recognizes and champions editors that are particularly good. Which of her most memorable works did Carine Roitfeld choose to share in Stylist: The Interpreters of Fashion? I was hoping you would ask…

"The Butcher" 
The Face, 1997
Stylist: Carine Roitfeld
Model: Eva Herzigova
Photographer: Mario Testino

I love that Carine selected three images from her unforgettable editorial, "The Butcher," the work she considers her most compelling. Also notable, a print of the image above hangs in the home of art connoisseur Simon de Pury.

"Au Pérou, chez les Incas"
French Glamour, August 1993
Stylist: Carine Roitfeld
Model: Helena Christensen
Photographer: Mario Testino

This is one of the most famous of the Roitfeld/Testino collaborations for French Glamour, as well as personal: the location honors the photographer's Peruvian childhood and the model wore a Peruvian sweater belonging to the stylist's father. Trop mignon, non ?

"Néo-Moderne"
French Glamour, 1994
Stylist: Carine Roitfeld
Model: Nadja Auermann
Photographer: Mario Testino

This is the other most famous of the Roitfeld/Testino collaborations for French Glamour, again with a personal angle: the spread is shot in the néo-moderne apartment of Carine Roitfeld and Christian Restoin. Note also that the model lounges about wearing Gucci loafers, attracting the attention of Tom Ford and leading to one of the sexiest collaborations in fashion history.

Gucci by Tom Ford
Collection stills and ad campaign, 1995
Stylist: Carine Roitfeld
Photographer: Mario Testino

While Tom Ford is a talented designer and Mario Testino is an accomplished photographer, Carine Roitfeld must be credited with conducting the electricity that created the iconic Gucci look of 1995. As The New York Times observed at the time, "Imagine waking up one morning expecting Harriet Nelson to be making your breakfast and instead found Raquel Welch, circa 1968, beating the eggs."

"Corps & Lames"
Vogue Paris, February 2005
Stylist: Carine Roitfeld
Model: Gemma Ward
Photographer: Mario Testino

Gemma Ward is anything but innocent in "Corps & Lames," Carine's bizarrely beautiful homage to meat… and polka dots… and sheers… oh my…

Other material that Carine chose to share were images of herself as a young girl, with her family, with her Vogue Paris staff, and of her inspiration board, as well as the portrait below captured by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin in March 2003 for V Magazine.

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Carine Roitfeld editorial images © 2007 Rizzoli. All Rights Reserved.

Carine Roitfeld: Intercontinental Chic

In a piece titled "Intercontinental Chic" for the August issue of Harper's Bazaar, "the world's most fashionable women, handpicked by the editors of Bazaar's international editions, share their secrets," and of course Carine Roitfeld tops the list of the très chic. In case you have not seen it, here are a few of Carine's personal preferences in culture, beauty, and fashion.

Carine Roitfeld on the essence of France's irreverent cool

CULTURE

Escape: The Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes is pure luxury.

Design: Any furniture by Knoll.

Film: E.T. — a classic!

Book: Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment.

Restaurant: Shang Palace at the Shangri-La Hotel, in Paris. It reminds me of the Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong.

Extras: I'm very fond of white tulips, particularly the way they continue to grow even after they've been cut. It's strange and beautiful.

BEAUTY

Routine: I'm quite unfaithful to skin-care products, but I do like La Prairie.

Eyes: Serge Lutens eyeliner comes in an old-fashioned lacquered box — you feel like a geisha when you use it.

FASHION

Philosophy: I'm always inspired by Helmut Newton's photographs of Yves Saint Laurent and by the work of Bob Richardson.

Key Pieces: For fall, I'm excited to wear Prada's long, thin scarves, as well as Givenchy's butterfly dress — butterflies are a big trend this season. And I love Tom Ford's long black skirt and jacket, to me this look is the new Le Smoking.

Shoes: I adore Miu Miu's translucent boots.

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Carine Roitfeld images and text © 2014 Hearst Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Cathy Horyn On Carine Roitfeld

The fashion world has suffered a loss today with the announcement that Cathy Horyn will no longer be writing for The New York Times. At this time, I am inspired to reflect on Cathy Horyn's contribution to Irreverent, her eloquent account of meeting Carine Roitfeld for drinks at the Ritz. Adieu, Cathy, bonne chance !

Extract from Carine Roitfeld: Irreverent
By Cathy Horyn

Not surprisingly, given the way things linked and dovetailed in the '80s, before digital links made such connections instant and artificial, Carine Roitfeld was also observing Carlyne (Cerf de Dudzeele), and as well Nicole Crassat, the legendary fashion editor of French Elle, for which Carine, a former model, offered short freelance pieces. "I learned a lot from these two women," Carine tells me over a drink at the Ritz bar. "From Nicole, I learned about a sense of femininity, like putting a black bra under a white shirt. With Carlyne, it was a bit more aggressive — military clothes with gold shoes." As she speaks, her black-rimmed eyes sparkle behind a protective blind of tousled, shoulder-length hair that, along with high heels and narrow skirts, is her distinctive style trademark. 

Sitting straight-back, her long arms sheathed in a black sweater that leaves visible the hollow of her neck, she nurses a glass of vodka she ordered with relish an hour before. I notice several men glancing at her and one, clearly working on a fantasy, calls from his nearby table, "What are you two girls talking about?" And Carine, instead of being wary, flicks her head and in a sweet voice murmurs, "We're just having fun." Then, as the man struggles in confusion, his lips forming the obscene words he thought he has heard, she turns away, releasing him.

In person, in the picture she creates, Carine is not afraid to be audaciously sophisticated and sexual, if politely unavailable. She understands that the roots of all fashion are snobbish, expensive, erotic, and that it depends on a landscape of difficult women — instinctively feminine and cultivated, but not overly educated — to convince the rest of us to ignore our better judgment and play along. Viewed critically, Carine's whippet-thin woman in a tight skirt and stilettos, her impeccable bourgeois surface broken by tumbling hair and a cigarette in her hand rather than a purse, seems a throwback to a chauvinistic and decadent time. And this creature arrived on the fashion scene at a moment, in the '90s, when French cultural influence was on the wane. Yet, viewed up close, Carine was creating a character based on her own provocative personality. It took a certain daring to turn away from the romantic conventions of editorial shoots — beautiful though they may be, with disguises and casts of eccentrics — and look inward, though seldom more than skin deep. "I think I'm very good with nothing," Carine says of her styling methods. This was a useful skill to have, especially at the beginning of her career, when she and Mario Testino, with whom she worked most often, didn't have big budgets for shoots and were forced to rely on Carine's wits: "She's biting her nails, she's pulling the T-shirt under her skirt, she's kissing someone, she's holding a little girl by the hand, she's crossing her legs," as she says of her character. 

Of course, this nail-biting, décolletage-plunging, largely submissive view of woman was also disturbing. Whether or not Carine foresaw the hedonistic fashion of the late '90s, she was definitely one of its principal architects. 

Like many people, I first heard of Carine in conjunction with Tom Ford and Gucci. This was in 1999 — already late into Ford's stunning turnaround of the Italian label, but I had spent a number of years away from the collections writing about other matters, and when I went back to Milan, I must admit I was shocked by what I saw. Ford had indeed created a modern primitive, operating on her senses (and, if need be, on all fours). And, I can say now, I didn't sufficiently appreciate what he and Carine were doing at Gucci (and later at Saint Laurent too), perhaps because it was all happening in front of my eyes. But he and Carine created a genuine archetype; not a concoction from a mood board, but a real woman who in every polished corpuscle, mean step, and lipsticked mouth, conveyed a world made neurotic and unstable by vast amounts of money, much of it from Wall Street and Silicon Valley. The fashion world had changed since the early '90s — it felt less civilized, for sure — but what of it? It pulsed with new creativity, new energy. And it delivered us, for better or worse, into the era of global brands. 

Carine remained an enigma to me for several years — it's funny, I retain a vivid memory of her coming into the Vanity Fair Oscar party, around 2002, wearing a leopard-print Alaïa dress that covered the parts of her body that were necessary and thinking she had all the actresses beat. By then the editor-in-chief of French Vogue, she was a woman in her mid-forties. Within a few years, the street photographers and bloggers gathering in force outside the shows in Paris had discovered Carine (along with Anna Wintour and Franca Sozzani) and I used to imagine thousands of snaps of Carine — in some incredible fur coat or mad pair of sandals, hair in her face — gathering in archives in Japan, waiting for the day when a contemporary artist sees what our numbed minds were not yet ready to grasp. 

I began this essay about a contemporary icon by circling back to the '80s. This is perhaps the perverse habit of my generation, to see things as a continuum, events and people dovetailing together; it's how we make sense of things. For me, when I set out to write about fashion, it was important that I learn. The sittings editors — Carlyne, of course, during my first forays into fashion and Grace Coddington at Vogue, and then Carine in more recent years — had a visual intelligence that I admired but knew I would never master. Still, the point is to learn, and I can say that all these women, and many more besides, have been great teachers. And despite the sometimes discouraging realities of the fashion business, young people have a tremendous readiness to learn. I hope this book about the very individual work of Carine Roitfeld answers some of their questions.

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Cathy Horyn and Carine Roitfeld photographs courtesy of Fashion Spot

IWTB Interview: Cesar Casier

Cesar Casier is the total package — a strikingly handsome model, he is also hardworking, upbeat, gracious, multilingual, and he can cook! Monsieur Casier recently published a cookbook titled MODEL KITCHEN which takes as its subject the beautiful people in the fashion world and the food they eat. Yes — models eat! Here is the proof! Several of the recipes are contributed by models including a recipe for roasted chicken and quinoa prepared by Julia Restoin-Roitfeld which appears below. Cesar has also worked with Carine Roitfeld, making his auspicious Vogue Paris debut in the awe-inspiring 90th anniversary issue in the editorial "Les péchés," accompanied by models Lara Stone and Christopher Michault as shot by Steven Klein. I am delighted that Cesar, or "Ceesie" as he is affectionately known, kindly agreed to this exclusive interview to tell us more about his new book MODEL KITCHEN and the charming man behind it.

Congratulations on the publication of your intriguing book, MODEL KITCHEN! What inspired the book, what was your "a-ha!" moment, when you knew you must make your idea a reality? What are some of the challenges and rewards of publishing a book? When do you anticipate releasing the book in the US? In addition to recipes, I have read that MODEL KITCHEN includes your favorite restaurants, can you tell us more about that?

The inspiration came from my personal bucket list. I always wanted to publish a book and when I posted the idea on my blog, thecesarsalad.blogspot.com, a Belgian publisher contacted me and the rest is history.

My a-ha moment came right after I signed my contract! I suddenly realized that this book needed to be PERFECT! Not only the recipes but also the layout, the food pictures, the atmosphere pics, the cover, the models who I wanted to get a recipe from, the writing… I knew this was going to be my baby and it still is and always will be. I'm so happy, proud, and thankful that I accomplished this beautiful book at such a young age.

The biggest challenge for me was to make the book not an ordinary cookbook but something more special. For me MODEL KITCHEN is almost a coffee table book cause it's just so pretty and the layout is very nicely done by my close friend Lisbeth van Helleputte.

The challenge is to make it as good as possible and to make sure that a lot of people will like it and of course buy the book. The biggest reward is that the book is a success and that all the people that I know LOVE it. As for now I only had positive reactions so that is a good thing! ;-)

We are are still looking for the right US publisher, but we are already in contact with a few so it's just a matter of time. The Dutch version is already sold out, we will reprint probably very soon and the English version is now on sale at select stores. Colette in Paris and Net-a-porter are selling it already and we are in contact with more exclusive stores such as Selfridges, Corso Como, Rizzoli… Fingers crossed that those amazing stores will pick up MODEL KITCHEN asap.

I've also put in my favorite hot spots of the fashion cities Paris, London, Milan, and New York. I collected all the restaurants cards all over the years and I made my personal selection of the ones frequented by me and my other model friends. So it's not only food you can find in MODEL KITCHEN but also a little bit of a restaurant guide.

What was it like to work with Julia Restoin-Roitfeld on your project? Have you prepared her recipe yourself? How does it rate on the five-star scale?

I know Julia already a few years now. My best friend is very close with her so that's how I got to know her.

I spoke about my idea of making a cookbook while we were all having dinner and Julia loved it. She also has a big love for food and loves to cook. When I asked her for a recipe she didn't really know which one to give me, her amazing roasted chicken or her delicious quinoa salad. So we mixed the two recipes into one amazing dish.

I made her recipe already two times for my friends and I have to say I always get great compliments when I make it. Thanks Julia ;-)

On a scale of 5 I would give it a 4! It's super easy to make, very healthy, low in calories, and very tasty. I like to put some extra veggies with it. A perfect recipe for a model.

You had a memorable debut in Vogue Paris, appearing in the iconic 90th anniversary issue with Lara Stone and Christopher Michault as styled by Carine Roitfeld and photographed by Steven Klein. What can you share with us from that experience?

That shoot ["Les péchés"] is probably the most memorable and most amazing job I've ever done so far. It was a dream come true to be shot for Vogue. Not only was Vogue Paris my favorite magazine (when Carine was the editor-in-chief) but also to work with three of the most famous and best fashion people in the industry. Carine is for me one of the best stylists ever, Lara is one of my favorite models, and Steven is a MUST, for a male model, to work with in your career. The shoot was very funny and very over the top, as I was most of the time dressed as a women. But the pictures came out stunning and I'm even in Carine's Irreverent book, which makes it even more special!

You often mention your love of sports and your workouts on your blog, what are a few of your favorite ways to exercise? What keeps you motivated? What do you listen to while working out?

I try to workout at least 4 to 5 times a week. I love to swim and to run but lately I'm obsessed with spinning classes.

My motivation is probably my work. As a model your body is your work instrument, so you need to keep it healthy and in shape at all times. You never know what your next job might be.

Good music is a total must! I like to listen to pop songs, RnB, and hip hop when I workout, definitely something upbeat that gives me energy and where I can sing along with.

Languages are a passion of mine… you were born in Belgium which has three official languages, Dutch, French, and German, and you are obviously fluent in English, the primary language of your amazing blog, You Know You Can't Rome Without Cesar. How many languages do you speak? Are there others you wish to learn?

I speak about three languages: Flemish, English, and French. I also understand a bit of German as it's kind of similar to Dutch and we had to study it in high school (which was a total disaster).

I would love to learn Spanish and Italian, but not sure if I'll ever get to that point. Maybe when I move to Spain or Italy, who knows?

If you were styling yourself for a shoot, who would be the photographer? What would you wear?

I would probably wear a mix of Givenchy, Dries van Noten, and Acne (My three favorite brands). The photographers would probably be Mert & Marcus, I worked with them once before and I had a great time on set with them.

Or of course Mister Steven Meisel, he is THE photographer of the century!

The quality of the food you eat is obviously a priority in your life, what are the staples of your diet? What is your comfort food? Which recipe from MODEL KITCHEN have you prepared most frequently? Which recipe would you suggest a reader try first? (Right after making Julia's chicken, of course!)

All the things I eat to stay in shape can you find back in my cookbook MODEL KITCHEN, but I don't really follow a diet. I try to eat healthy, fresh and low in calories.

My comfort food must probably be caramel popcorn, wine gums, or scones! I can't resist them, especially not when I have a hangover.

I make guacamole and hummus almost once a week, I love to eat it with celery sticks and baby carrots. When I have friends over I like to make my lemon roasted chicken, a recipe my lovely cousin gave to me, with brussels sprouts or with roasted pumpkin. And for dessert I like to make banana bread, another guilty pleasure of mine.

I think they should try every recipe! They are all very easy to cook, healthy, and very yummy! But if I had to take one I would say: the lentil salad with avocado and smoked mackerel or my dad's pasta vongolé, it's so easy to make but SO delicious!

You write a fun blog, You Know You Can't Rome Without Cesar. You have a positive outlook and a wry sense of humor and I love that Ceesie speaks about himself in the third person, c'est fabuleux. How did you begin your blog?

I began my blog almost four years ago, wow time flies!

It all started just for fun and to keep my friends and family back in Belgium informed about my traveling and adventures.

When I started the blog I didn't expect to get so popular at all. I still love it as much as when I started it. I try to write twice a week and it's most of the time about myself and about things I like or hate. (food, traveling, fashion, music…)

You lead an adventurous life, traveling frequently for both business and pleasure. Share with us a few of your favorites…

Best food: My dad's food!
Best shopping: Barneys NYC
Best beach: BONDI Australia
Best looking natives: In style I think the Scandinavians and when it comes to the look I would go for someone from the south (Brazilian, North African, Italian…) I like a girl/guy with a tan.
Best party: Julia's 30th Birthday party at Indochine NYC, a night I will never forget in my life!

On your blog you mention that your interest in the fashion world first began in your mother's shop in Ghent. Tell us more about her work and how it has inspired you.

That's very true!

Since I was a kid my mom took me with her to see the best fashion shows in Paris and Milan and on Saturdays I was always helping her out in the store, which sometimes still happens when I'm back home in Belgium.

OONA is without a doubt the best shop in Ghent. Sadly enough it's only women's.

She sells Givenchy, Missoni, Costume National, Alexander Wang, and Helmut Lang. It's a very chic store with a touch of Rock 'n' Roll.

My mom has always been an inspiration to me when it comes to fashion. I think she has the best style and the best taste, not only in clothes but also in architecture and lots of other stuff.

Even when I'm in NYC I sometimes ask her for advice when I'm not sure about a piece of clothing I see in a store.

For me my mom is the definition of CHIC and FUN!

Do you have plans for future books? Or will another project on your bucket list be consuming your attention, time, and energy? I would especially like to know more about your life as a DJ… Where can readers hear you spinning?

Future books? People keep on asking me that question. And I think I'll have to pass on that, at least for now. The book was amazing to do and I still love working on it, like doing interviews and TV appearances, but it took a lot of energy and time. Now my priority is to sell MODEL KITCHEN all over the world.

In Belgium and Holland the Dutch version already sold out and I hope that will happen in all the other countries where MODEL KITCHEN will be sold.

I try to focus now on modeling, as that is still my main job. But there are still many things I want to accomplish before I die. I would love to make a club hit, go to Rio de Janeiro, design a collection for a brand, bungee jump… Time will tell but you ain't seen nothing yet of Ceesie! ;-)

Oh, please don't call me a DJ. I DJ-ed on my book launch in Belgium and I had the best time doing it! After that I got contacted to DJ at one of Belgium's biggest clubs and I had a blast too, but I just play my favorite songs after each other with my iPod and I ask a friend to help me mix it together! ha ha! So i'm not really a DJ.

But who ever wants me to DJ at their party, please contact me and I'm more then happy to mix you the best party hits together!

Here is the complete list of recipes contributed by models for the book MODEL KITCHEN by Cesar Casier:

Milla Jovovich: Baked salmon with green asparagus
Mirte Maas: Shrimp salad
Bette Franke: Grilled egplant with feta and mint
Frida Gustavsson: Oven roasted salmon with zesty salad
Karlie Kloss: Mango salsa
Jac: Fresh pepper and basil soup
Julia Restoin-Roitfeld: Roasted chicken and quinoa
Lily Donaldson: Kale salad
Suvi Koponen: Casserole with whole grain pasta
Lindsey Wixson: Chocolate chip cookies
Anais Pouliot: Fruit and parsley juice
Elise Crombez: Stuffed pepper with corn

Order your copy of Model Kitchen on NET-A-PORTER today

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Photographs courtesy of Cesar Casier and Fashion Spot.

The Fantastic World Of Dior Couture

The Fantastic World Of Dior Couture
By Bernie Rothschild

Rizzoli published the book Dior Couture last autumn which contains the greatest hits of the Maison de Christian Dior. The book showcases the house from the revolutionary New Look of 1947 to the hip and beatnik designs of Yves Saint Laurent, from the simplicity and practicality of Marc Bohan on to the colorful Gianfranco Ferre, and ends with the glorious years of John Galliano. Patrick Demarchelier captured the most fantastic dresses in the most exquisite locations in France, Shanghai, and New York, as worn by the most beautiful female models in the world from Gisele Bündchen to Charlize Theron. For V Magazine's model issue last year, Carine Roitfeld styled an editorial featuring the dresses of Dior, many of which were designed by John Galliano.

Christian Dior is known as one of the greatest couturiers of our time. He defined glamour around the world after the devastating war with his New Look that set the standard for women everywhere. It was 1947, two years after World War II. The world was at peace at last but women all over the world were experiencing an identity crisis, they were completely lost and unsure as to what to wear. Then Dior showed his first collection. The dresses featured the waist and the bust with accentuated jackets and above-the-knee skirts. That was then controversial and some even considered it vulgar. The collection was originally called "Corolla" but then the legendary Carmel Snow of Harper's Bazaar announced to Mr. Dior and the press that "It's such a New Look!" and the glamorous style of the century was born. Everyone from all walks of life copied and followed the New Look, although some criticized Dior for using expensive fabrics while others did not have enough to eat. The French, however, hailed Christian Dior as a hero for once again putting Paris on the map and for his fashion influence in the 1940s and the 1950s. The New Look was highly praised and popular, Mr. Dior even presented it to the French Embassy in Britain with Elizabeth, the Queen Mother; Marina, the Duchess of Kent; her sister Olga of Yugoslavia; and Princess Margaret (herself a great supporter of Dior) as the audience. Rumors suggest that the then Princess Elizabeth (now the Queen) stopped by to see the collection as well. Christian Dior designs were worn not just by the blue blooded women of the world but also the most glamorous movie stars of that era: Garbo, Dietrich, and Monroe, to name a few. But all great things are not meant to last... sadly a mere decade after changing the world of fashion with his vision, Christian Dior died of a heart attack.

At the tender age of 21, Dior's assistant, Yves Saint Laurent, took over as the house designer. His first collection in 1958 featured a softer version of the New Look and the French hailed YSL as "The man who saved France" as well as the savior that rescued the Maison Dior from the verge of bankruptcy. Just like Mr. Dior in 1947, Saint Laurent's first collection in which he showcased the trapeze line was praised by the press. They said that "Saint Laurent has saved France — the great Dior tradition will continue." His design had caused an enormous commotion. He even went out to the balcony to wave to the cheering people as if he was the new king of France. Notably Saint Laurent also designed the wedding dress of Farah Diba, the last empress of Persia.

Another high point in the history of Dior came in the spring of 1997, when British designer John Galliano was chosen to head the house. Originally from Givenchy, the owner of LVMH, Bernard Arnault, chose him to succeed Gianfranco Ferre as the chief designer of Dior. Known for his theatrical and feminine designs, Galliano's first collection was praised for restoring the beauty and the elegance that had been missing from Dior. His designs were inspired by historical figures such as Cleopatra, Marie Antoinette, and Pocahontas, as well as romantic novels and poetry. He even glamorized homelessness and poverty in one of his collections. Celebrities embraced the beauty of Galliano's designs. But the decadence, eccentricity, and theatrical nature of his shows caused critics to question the wearability of his designs, insisting that he was not a designer but a costumier. Nevertheless the Dior couture presentation was the hottest show in town.

In January 1998, Galliano's spring 1998 couture collection based on the Italian eccentric Marchesa Luisa Casati inspired the world to go crazy over him, just like the moments of Christian Dior in 1947 and Yves Saint Laurent in 1958. The collection showcased a heavily embroidered Oriental coat, suits referencing the Ballets Russes and Edwardian styles, and an updated version of the Dior "Junon" dress. The show was so spectacular that it was widely considered the collection of the season. Galliano was also recognized by the CFDA, winning the award for International Designer of the Year, and showed this epic collection that amazed the American audience. John Galliano didn't just return the couture line to profitability but also revived Dior's ready-to-wear market that during his first years had no difference from his couture collection. In the summer of 1999, Galliano's contract with LVMH was renewed and this time he was put in charge of everything... the store and window design, the accessories, the lingerie and beach wear, the ad campaigns... For the turn of the millennium, he gave the Dior woman a new sex appeal by embracing the style of the street, from drag queens to hip-hop, from BDSM to rock 'n' roll. Galliano proved to his critics that he could design sportswear as well. Note also that Dior under Galliano is one of the many design houses who embraced the logomania of the year 2000.

His tradition of theatrical femininity continued with Galliano's spring 2004 couture collection that was inspired by his trip to Egypt, it was the most celebrated collection of the new millennium for the House of Dior. The pyramid-shaped clothes with the Egyptian Nefertiti headpiece crowns and the glamour of the Penn and Avedon photos of the 1950s. The box-shaped hair from the collection took Orlando Pita three days to create. The innovation of Galliano in this collection makes it one of the most memorable periods of his reign at Dior. Even Bernard Arnault once compared him to Christian Dior. But Galliano's tenure at Dior ended in an ill-fated manner, the anti-semitic remark that he made while drunk induced LVMH to cancel his contract, although it had been rumored for a long time that they had wanted to oust him. He was hurt and humiliated by the situation and also by his legion of followers. It was the end of an era. Everyone is still waiting to see what Galliano's next step will be. His talent is such a shame to be wasted. Dior won't ever be the same from the moment he left. Will he suffer a similar fate to Coco Chanel who was accused of being a Nazi collaborator? (Keep in mind that after a few years she made her marvelous comeback). His admirers wish him the best and only time can tell but I certainly hope he will have a triumphant return to the fashion world soon.

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Dior photographs © 2011 and 2012 Condé Nast, Christian Dior, Rizzoli, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and V Magazine, LLC, and courtesy of tumblr. "Dovima and the elephants" designed by Yves Saint Laurent under Christian Dior. Photo by Richard Avedon.