Well the haute couture shows are off and running in Paris. The biggest show of Day One was of course Christian Dior. It was not staged in a large venue as usual, but instead the salons above the flagship Avenue Montaigne boutique, as Dior himself would have shown his collections in the years after he founded his maison in 1946. As for the collection, you could call it Bar meets burlesque. For day, Dior’s trademark wasp-waisted peplum Bar jacket was teamed with voluminous skirts, many transparent, or else nothing at all in the bottoms department, save for silky knickers, tap shorts or foundation pink corsetry. Creative director John Galliano said he had been inspired by 1950s images of Dior with his half-dressed mannequins. The inspiration might have been vintage, but thanks to Lady GaGa, the no-pants look had a distinctly modern edge. The corsetry theme played out into the magnificent eveningwear, with nude corsets underpinned by extravagant, heavily-embellished tulle crinolines. Although Chanel reports 2008 was a record year for its couture, Dior’s smaller venue seemed an obvious nod to the economic climate. As did the smaller cast: 35 girls, compared with 39 at the January show and 44 one year ago. And for the first time in several years, this Dior show did not feature a single Australian model. Given her longstanding relationship with Galliano, this must have been disappointing for Alexandra Agoston-O’Connor, who nevertheless scored two smaller shows yesterday: Georges Hobeika and Alexis Mabille. She was joined in the latter by Perth’s Skye Stracke.
