Cathy Horyn: John Galliano S/S 06

‘John’s interest [is] in characters...getting away from traditional ideas of what luxury is, which is very claustrophobic and very narrow-minded.'

Travelling back in time to a mysterious location on the outskirts of Paris, famed fashion critic Cathy Horyn revisits the fantasy of John Galliano's S/S 06 show, which featured elaborate set changes and closed with a marionette of the designer. Horyn critiques how Galliano's then radical casting choices are now standard in an industry where a realistic image of beauty is en vogue, and how the namesake label created an experimental playground nurturing the fantastical and the celebratory spirit largely absent from runways today.