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VERSAILLES, France - British designer John Galliano marked his 10th year at the creative helm of iconic fashion house Dior with an extravagant fall/winter show in Versailles Palace inspired by Impressionist and Modern painters.
The fashion house, whose controversial creations helped build its fame, also celebrated its 60th anniversary with opulence that evoked the reign of "Sun King" Louis XIV, the 17th century monarch who transformed Versailles into a royal palace.
The fashion brand, cherished by the rich and famous, used the occasion to reflect on its evolution from Christian Dior's 1947 "New Look" to Galliano's theatrical dresses.
Models, who included Dior face Gisele Bundchen and Linda Evangelista, strutted in dresses inspired by painters ranging from Cocteau and Picasso to Renoir, Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec.
Luxury goods maker LVMH, the owner of Dior, threw a ball complete with classical music quartet attended by actresses Sharon Stone, Monica Bellucci and James Bond girl Eva Green.
Also present were film makers Pedro Almodovar and Sophia Coppola and singer and actress Marianne Faithful.
Christian Dior's first collection in 1947 introduced a sharply feminine silhouette with a nipped-in waist, opening onto a long-hemmed voluminous dress made with 20 meters of fabric, a style some critics deemed obscene after years of war shortages.
"I have designed flower women," Dior was quoted as saying of his style which Harpers Bazaar reportedly coined "New Look."
Yves Saint Laurent and Italian designer Gianfranco Ferre who died last month also worked for the Dior house before Galliano brought to the fashion house his new "New Look."
The British designer's theatrical shows and emphasis on accessories such as bags, sunglasses and jewellery has contributed to transforming the French fashion house into a global brand.
- REUTERS
