Christian Dior's 60th Anniversary: Couture Collection

Helena Christensen

When it comes to a 60th anniversary celebration of Dior with 10 years of artistic direction from John Galliano, it’s hard to imagine anything but an entirely opulent and lavish affair. And that it was, as a star-studded list of guests descended upon the Versailles Palace near Paris on Monday July 2, for an evening no-doubt reminiscent of the parties once hosted there by Louis XIV.

The sound of uninvited hopefuls pleading with security for entry was drowned out by a flamenco singer welcoming guests in the Orangerie garden. The Orangerie, originally built by Louis XIV to house his fruit trees in the winter time, was the site of the ball and decorated in a theme of ‘sweeping romance’. Moroccan tents, crystal chandeliers, silver trees, silver chairs and mythological animals on pedestals contributed to the hedonistic and utterly indulgent feel of the evening.

In honor of Dior, Galliano presented an extravagant autumn/winter haute couture collection inspired by the works of the great artists, including Picasso and da Vinci.
“To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the house of Christian Dior, we explored Mr Dior’s first collection, not of fashion, but of his favorite artists,” Galliano explained to his audience.

Catwalk super models of past and present, including Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell, showered Galliano with affection as his excited audience gave him a standing ovation – not only for this show but for Dior and Galliano’s outstanding contributions to the fashion world.

As the night continued, guests including Pedro Almodóvar, Sofia Coppola and Gisele Bündchen tore up the dance floor to tunes from DJ Jeremy Healy, sound designer of all Galliano shows. Others, including Juliette Binoche, Monica Belucci, Eva Green, Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba, Karen Mulder and Charlize Theron, reveled in the ambience and theme of all things neo-romantic.

If one message came from the evening that kicked of Paris Couture Week 2007, it was that haute couture – though previously pronounced dead by many critics – is most definitely back!

— Laura Jakobovits and Benjamin Cassan