Wednesday, March 02, 2011

J'adore Dior!


This is a pretty rare document: an original drawing by French designer Christian Dior that I photographed during my visit of the Plaza hotel. I thought of showing it today because Dior (the haute couture brand that now belongs to LVMH) is a lot in the news these days and not for a good reason... Why? because John Galliano, who is the current and talented designer of the brand was caught on a tape at a restaurant in Le Marais, having a racist rant (read the story and watch the video here if you're interested). Christian D must be rolling over in his grave...

28 comments:

  1. J'adore Dior aussi! Love this sketch. Thanks for letting us see it too Eric! And shame on John for make M. Dior roll!
    V

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  2. And a very drunk JG. With phones these days, we all must watch what we say and do, even when we THINK we are among friends.

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  3. Galliano is in trouble,and it was on our TV news too.
    I agree with Virginia..... if drunk we should all keep quiet !!:) Nice drawing!
    - Gunn / Stavanger /Norway.

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  4. It appears that Galliano has made these comments before about Jews. He's prejudice -- and I think he just shot himself in the foot. Many Hollywood stars are Jewish. His fashions are not going to be appearing on the Red Carpet, or on any Jewish actors (from what I have heard). He's washed-up in Hollywood.

    Dior is a good name -- they will have no problem finding a replacement. Galliano was going to release his line at Fashion Week on Friday in Paris under the House of Dior umbrella. I bet Dior scraps his designs -- they cannot afford to play with fire.

    I love Dior.

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  5. Christian Dior was the epitome of chic, and after the war he insured that the fashion industry associated with Paris would survive with his "New Look!" How sad that Mr. Galliano has reduced the house of Dior to such shame with this scandal. I totally understand his desire to "cuss out" a stranger, but if I am able to restrain myself I would think that an internationally known multi-millionaire designer should be able to do the same.

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  6. It was a terrible thing to say, but consider the shame he has been bringing to Dior for some time. I agree that Christian Dior would be twirling in his grave because of this no talent creep has turned his iconic fashion house into a house of freak shows.

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  7. I just read that Natalie Portman who is a spokesperson for Dior, released a statement & I am paraphrasing here,"...that as an individual who is proud to be Jewish,... she will not be associated with Galliano in any way.
    Bravo Ms. Portman!
    here is the link,
    http://news-briefs.ew.com/2011/03/01/natalie-portman-john-galliano/

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  8. M Galliano should move to the U.S. I am sure the Tea Party would welcome him.

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  9. Lovely drawing, very elegant.
    Dior will survive without Mr. Galliano, i 'm sure.

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  10. I went to bed after I heard on the news that Galliano was fired ! They could not have decided otherwise.
    John is a genius but it is no excuse. A celebrity should watch his language more than ordinary folks!

    Natalie Portman has also sent all her Dior clothes and accessories back to Dior! I like her attitude. Who else will have the guts to do the same ?...

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  11. Not me. All my Dior couture is staying put right here in my closet.

    ;)

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  12. well, I was considering to throw away my new D makeup kit and accessories, but... I have no guts either :)

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  13. Eric, I love the photo! Dior was a talented designer with such a classic style. (I would totally wear that coat!)

    As for Mr. Galliano, one more reason not to get drunk!

    (Jeff, obviously you have no idea who or what populates the Tea Party, or the Democratic Party, or the Republican Party for that matter. Please don't generalize, or you make yourself as foolish as Mr. Galliano. There are prejudiced people in every walk of life, in every group, and in every country. It would be nice if all were civil and caring about humanity, but the "looking out for number 1" philosophy seems to be more ingrained than the "look out for others and their needs first" philosophy. May it someday soon change.)

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  14. I can't speak for Jeff, butIthink he was making what also seemed to me a harmless joke....especially taking into account I am familiar with his personality.

    The Tea party has quite a number of off putting stances, as far as I am concerned.

    I am also impressed at PDP's stance against John Galliano. I live in a work world where I hear quite a bit of prejudice and quite frankly, did not know what to expect from all of you around the world.

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  15. Good for you for bringing this up, Eric. Galliano deserves to be shown the door at Dior. Doesn't matter if he's prejudiced, crazy, or just a bad drunk, there's no excuse for that kind of behavior. Au revoir, Johnny! I'm returning all my Dior clothes too (or would if I had any).

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  16. Eric - lovely photo and very evocative of another time. Its too bad Mr. G's thoughts are so hurtful. Can I make a bad joke about it taking the sheen off?! I too think Dior was right to lose him - from thoughts spring action. I doubt, but do hope, that his loss will educate him. PHX - sorry to hear you have to work in that kind of environment. Us vs. them -- its so destructive and such a huge waste of energy.

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  17. (PS - My bad joke is about the downside of drinking, definitely not saying Charlie's antisemitic.)

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  18. Great photo. Great design. I'm behind the times as I only saw Mr G's silly drunken rant on tv this morning. I love love love Dior and know the fashion house will bounce back. It has been around for a long time. Kudos to Natalie.

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  19. First They came... - Pastor Martin Niemoller

    First they came for the communists,
    and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

    Then they came for the trade unionists,
    and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

    Then they came for the Jews,
    and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

    Then they came for me
    and there was no one left to speak out for me.

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  20. Thank you anonymous. We need a reminder of that process here. The witch hunts are gathering momentum, and many are making excuses for it. Lately I have heard: the South had a right to secede from the Union (American Civil War); and Joe McCarthy got a bad rap (the Communist Red Scare in 1950s USA: Senator McCarthy ruined thousands of lives by accusing people of being a 'commie'). Racism, jingoism, ignorance, fear mongering. They are making a big comeback.

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  21. A beautiful photo of the sketch, Eric!
    Bravo to Dior for making the right decision in ejecting Mr. Galliano from the fould! Quite a few of the Fashionista Crowd hang out at La Perle in the Marais where this incident took place. I am sure that any of my friends there would also be quick to condemn his actions. Deplorable!!!

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  22. Eric just a bit concerned as no post for 3rd March , is everything ok with you??

    Rahul

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  23. Hey Rahul,

    That's sweet! Thanks for your concern. Actually you're right to be concerned, but for my mental abilities - I'm not even able to set the posts scheduling option of Blogger right!!

    Sorry for that.

    About Dior, I think they handled this "episode" pretty well. They could have looked for excuses like "he was obviously drunk, he was provoked... bla bla", but instead they chose to let him go right away even though it's probably damaging for the company to part with a talented designer (yesterday the Dior stock lost 0,86%...).

    I just heard that the Dior show will still take place tomorrow (at Musée Rodin!)

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  24. Sorry, phx-cdg, but I don't see Jeff's comment as a "harmless joke" any more than Galliano's drunken speech was harmless. Lumping a group of people together because a very few have what you see as objectionable views is just irresponsible. I am not a member of the Tea Party, nor the Democratic, nor the Republican, but I am offended that someone would make such a tasteless "joke" ridiculing what someone else holds as important to them. I am a Christian and for years have had people mock my conservative views, my "archaic" beliefs, and my intelligence for accepting Christianity and the Bible as true. Even though I personally believe that life begins at conception, I do not wish to be grouped with those who bomb abortion clinics in the name of God. Eric, sorry to rant on your blog comments, but this is an important issue to me, and not one I take lightly. I'm just glad that we can agree on what a wonderful place this is to meet new people and enjoy lovely views of Paris. Merci.

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  25. Christie: Don't preach to me about what we can or can't agree with on this blog. You may believe in God, but so far as I know you are not God. Girl, get over yourself!

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  26. I'm not trying to be God, (what a scary thought! no thank you), nor am I preaching to anyone. I merely am saying what I believe.

    I love seeing a new view of Paris everyday and I hope all of you do too. I am very appreciative to Eric for his willingness to do this for all of us who love Paris. So, Merci Beaucoup to Eric!

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  27. I am merely writing what I believe. As maybe was Jeff. And it sure reads like preaching!

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  28. Dior did the right thing by firing Galliano. Though it was most likely a drunken rant, it was filled with hatred for the Asian boyfriend as well as the woman who was Jewish, there is NO EXCUSE for that kind of behavior.
    I love that Natalie Portman spoke out! You go, Miss Dior!
    PS love that you posted this on your blog Eric!
    Stacey

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