Designer Sighting: John Galliano (London, UK)

About a year and a half ago, I posted my recap on the Madeleine Vionnet exhibition in Paris, mentioning that John Galliano had been so enraptured by it, he had urged his entire staff to go see it. So it probably shouldn't have come as a surprise to me, when last week - a few days before it was to close - I visited the 'Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion' exhibition, only to bump into... John Galliano of course.

While I've sighted a fair share of designers and models before, there's always something wonderful about seeing them up close and far removed from the usual context of Fashion Week or some other random event. In this case, Galliano was impeccably dressed as usual and surrounded by only two of his colleagues/apprentices who were eagerly taking notes and admiring the different pieces along with their mentor who himself was noticeably taken by some of the more unique garments.

Galliano dressing down. I loved the jacket with the fur sleeves and the pin-striped trousers.

My favorite moment though, was when one of the staff who was visibly enamored by Galliano's style but had no idea who he was, went over, pointed to his braids and asked him if his hair was real or if he was sporting extensions (for those interested, he claimed the hair to be his own the last time he checked and that he wasn't a fan of the weave). Other than that, he spoke in hushed tones with his two consorts who ended up purchasing a few exhibition books among other things. Of course every designer is inspired by Rei, Yohji & Co., but it's nice to know that some really do take an active interest in learning more. Here's wondering how much of that will influence the next Dior or Galliano collection...

And I will be posting my summary on the actual exhibition in the near future, so stay tuned.