Dior 'happening' brings underground vibe to couture

PARIS - British designer John Galliano injected some street cred into the rarefied world of haute couture on Monday, staging a 1960s-style "happening" to showcase his latest made-to-measure creations for Christian Dior.

Guests including British singer Marianne Faithfull and US film director Sofia Coppola lounged on battered leather couches amid clusters of helium-filled silver balloons on a set inspired by US pop artist Andy Warhol's legendary Factory loft.

Galliano had to cut his guest list by half to accommodate his bohemian seating plan, which included space for a singer, five violinists and a rock band.

The set-up gave guests a rare chance to see up close the exquisite craftsmanship that is the hallmark of haute couture.

"I wanted them to hear the crunching of satin, experience all the details of the exquisite embroidery, feel the rustle of taffeta as it brushed over their feet," Galliano said in a statement.

"It was time to break with what was expected and show in a more open space, and indulge the true essence of couture."

Edie Sedgwick, the poor little rich girl who became Warhol's muse before dying of a drug overdose, was the inspiration for black bodysuits and mini shifts worn with knee-length crocodile leather boots for a lithe silhouette.

The clean-cut outfits quickly gave way to baroque tumbles of crimson velvet and ivory organza, as Galliano drew an unexpected link between the American heiress who ruled over downtown Manhattan and Napoleon's wife, Empress Josephine.

Confused? The designer had an explanation, of sorts.

"Bob Dylan once said 'Andy Warhol is Napoleon in rags', and with that quote the journey began," he said. As the band launched into a raucous version of Dylan's Like a Rolling Stone, models paraded in diaphanous Empire-line dresses hand-embroidered with delicate flowers.

These were the essence of couture and the reason why clients like San Francisco socialite Dodie Rosekrans are willing to part with five-figure sums for a one-off Dior creation.

Strip the dresses of their oversize bustles, and they could very well turn into wedding gowns, like the one Slovenian model Melania Knauss wore for her wedding to US property magnate Donald Trump last weekend.

Hers boasted 300 feet of white satin and a 13-foot train. Christian Dior Couture, whose sales rose by 14 per cent in 2004, is banking that there are enough women like Knauss to keep its workshops buzzing.

- REUTERS