it's getting a little tired but...

oscar de la renta fall 2013. style.com

There was of course great debate about the return of John Galliano to the World of Fashion. As soon as news got out he was to undertake a limited internship at Oscar de la Renta, the flurry started. Or should I say the FURY; the amount of comments suggesting Galliano should be permanently exiled to the farthest flung corners of the globe were innumerable and often vitriolic. No surprise there however.

What has been surprising (to me) is the amount of coverage Galliano has received on the back of de la Renta just presented New York collection. Of course the whole point of having Galliano’s involvement was undoubtedly to raise the profile of the de la Renta Brand; nothing like a little controversy, but just how impressed Oscar feels about his show being described as “JohnGalliano's first collection since his disgraced exit from Christian Dior twoyears ago” would be interesting to know.

It is of course the clothes that matter, not who sketched the design or draped the toile. HOWEVER, Galliano’s handwriting was all over it so it does present a good chance to again consider the distinctions between Raf Simons and John Galliano. I have to again state how disappointed I have been in Raf initial collections for Dior and to see the de la Renta collection illustrates why. Although it’s not a Dior collection,  or a Galliano collection, the clothes shown at Oscar de la Renta showed a modern sensibility that was fresh and contemporary. Sophisticated and sometimes demure, but always with an undercurrent of edginess that surely represents a 21^st century aesthetic- and lifestyle. It helps me articulate what until now has eluded me in describing Raf’s Dior outings- the are just too twee. There is no life, no energy. I find them wooden and lifeless. By comparison the de la Renta collection was sparky, well styled and not to serious. It doesn’t feel labored and yet the skill in the cutting is masterful. Fabric beautifully handled with a lightness that can only come with years and years of practice. The famous rule of thumb “it takes 10000 hours to master a skill seems appropriate here- Galliano would have that over and over. For a former menswear designer with no fashion training- for me the evidence is in the handling of the cloth.

Whether we wish to celebrate the return of Galliano to the echelons of Fashion or not is beside the point. To not be able to celebrate the skills he has however, is short sighted and naïve. He may be more renowned for his flamboyancy, but it didn’t take a whole lot of theatricality to demonstrate that when it comes done to couture level skill and eye for design, Galliano remains the possibly peerless master of his generation

oscar de la renta fall 2013. style.com