Runway Report: Paris Menswear Fashion Week Spring 2012: John Galliano

Galliano Without Galliano...

Swashbuckling Boys: John Galliano Menswear Spring 2012

Last week, The Fashion House of John Galliano showed the first Menswear Collection done without the name behind the brand. Galliano, in fact, was in court--in Paris--around the same time trying to give his version of what happened that fateful night and well, give his excuses for why he said the terrible things he said. In emotional testimony, Galliano blamed pressures of a pitiless industry for pushing him off the brink and into prescription drugs and alcohol addictions.

But the House that is owned by Dior President and CEO Sydney Toledano wanted none of that. Instead, the focus was on the collection designed by Galliano longtime collaborator Bill Gaytten, who has been with the company for over 20 years and in fact is still part of the Dior Design Team. Here's the ironic part of the Galliano Menswear Spring 2012 Collection: A lot of it looked as if it was an Ode to Galliano himself; one entire section seemed very "Galliano as The Muse": The Dandy hats with feathers, the open vests under bare torsos, the swashbuckling stylings, all of it. In fact, at the end, it was as if most of the Models were serious John Galliano doppelgangers--apologetically.

There were 4 distinct categories of the show: The John Galliano Bohemian Swashbuckler, The Effeminate School Boy, The Hipster in Silk PJ's and The Toreador Rocker Bad Boy.

Glee Chic: John Galliano Menswear Spring 2012

This section of the "Geek-Chic School Boys" was great. I loved the color combination (not a surprise) and the soft pastels. Great ties as well. It was VERY "Harry Potter" meets "Glee".

Hipsters in PJ's: John Galliano Menswear Spring 2012

This was the weakest section to me. It was almost like they decided "Hey, we need to sell some John Galliano Underwear to keep this House in the black, so send some guys down the runway in their skivvies". Some look almost saggy, like they'd been washed one too many times. But I guess, after seeing those silk pajama pants at D&G, it's now officially a "Menswear Spring 2012" Trend. Boys: Go get some silk printed pajama pants ASAP!

Bullfighter Rock-On: John Galliano Menswear Spring 2012

To me this was the strongest section. I loved the mix of Toreador chic and cool Rocker Boy. Skinny pants, pointed shoes, strong boxy jackets, lots of Toreador-like embellishments. I felt the new designer's voice was most apparent here and since this was the close of the show maybe it was to demonstrate the "new" House of John Galliano...without Galliano.

Click Below for the Full Runway Video of John Galliano Menswear Spring 2012: