Every show by John Galliano feels like a celebration - and, on the tenth anniversary of his appointment as creative director at the house of Christian Dior, which also coincides with the 60th anniversary of the house itself, the bar was certainly high as A-list fans including Juliette Binoche, Monica Bellucci, Sophia Coppola, Marisa Berenson and Kate Hudson flocked to the Versailles Orangerie to see just how so many momentous moments would be translated onto the Couture catwalk. Galliano does not do disappointment. His collection was not, as expected, an homage to Dior's groundbreaking New Look of 1947, but rather referenced the legendary designer's art-world influences. Guests were treated to a visual onslaught of the most lavish creations, modelled by names only a designer of Galliano's stature can command - Helena Christensen, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Gisele, Amber Valetta, Stella Tennant and Karen Mulder amongst them - as Caravaggio, El Greco, Monet, Renoir and Cocteau were reimagined in bustles, silks, embroidery, feathers and devastatingly elegant black velvet. The show, which was dedicated to Galliano's right-hand man, Steven Robinson, who died earlier this year, has certainly raised the stakes in Paris as Chanel, Christian Lacroix and Givenchy prepare to take to the runways today - the front row no doubt recuperating quietly after last night's blow-out black tie Dior party.
