Interview

John Galliano: Historical Layers

This has been a season of Arabian dressing and John Galliano caught the kitschy historical vibe in his rendering of Lawrence of Arabia as portrayed by Peter O'Toole. Galliano's O'Toole goes native in a mix of military jackets and blousy pants with the occasional souvenir T-shirt thrown in, and a great pair of boots covered with sandal straps. For most designers that would have been enough, but Galliano has more ideas than he knows what to do with. So he went to another film, Abel Gance's 1927 moody Napoleon. This was his way to show off black tailoring  with a swagger. And for the beach: six packs airbrushed bronze and Speedos in an homage to the homoerotic images of Wilhelm von Gloeden, who had a thing for Sicilian boys in Greek poses at the turn of the century.