Bernard Arnault has made it clear in no uncertain terms that LVMH won’t be hiring Galliano back, but if the reaction from critics to the Fall/Winter 2011 Couture collection is any indication, they have a long way to go in finding a replacement who can match Galliano’s creative abilities.

Bill Gaytten is a long time Galliano assistant whose attempt at menswear for the John Galliano label was applauded for being more wearable than Galliano’s more flamboyant designs. Giorgio Armani recently sniped at Prada for their more outrageous menswear designs, and Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani is on record with her opposition to men dressing as “fashionistas,” so less experimental menswear designs that stand out for quality tailoring and fit rather than bold colors, patterns or shapes have their fans.

Unfortunately Gayten’s cutting skills didn’t transfer to the couture collection. If we had to come up with a theme, it would be Celestial Carnival – part futuristic fashion victim, part circus barker. Outer orbit prints and shapes collided with cotton candy colors, and imprecise ruffles and folds in looks that were heavy on folly, but never quite made it to the fantasy that Galliano so often delivered.

“Iâ€ve known Mr. Gaytten for a decade. I met him in the Dior studio with Mr. Galliano and Steven Robinson, a close collaborator of Mr. Gallianoâ€s for many years, who oversaw virtually every detail of the collections… I like Mr. Gaytten. Heâ€s a sweetheart, but he is not a designer.

The collection presented Monday, with modern architectural shapes as the reference (at least that explains the dumb cubes and balls embedded in the models†hair), was a hodgepodge… That immaculate Dior polish was not evident. Some long flowing dresses in hand-painted silk looked contemporary enough, but for the most part the clothes looked like over-bright costumes.” – Cathy Horyn {On the Runway/NY Times}

Susanna Venegas and Bill Gaytten at the end of the Fall 2011 Dior Couture show

In other words, it doesn’t look like Gaytten will be Dior’s Sarah Burton (read: a right hand (wo)man who can effectively expand a creative vision when the visionary unexpectedly leaves).

“Then came Karlie Kloss, dressed as a Pierrot, sad clown all alone in the spotlight as the soundtrack failed and glitter showered down. But the stardust missed her by this much. And that felt like some kind of crazy cosmic metaphor.” – Tim Blanks {Style.com}

Alexander McQueen Moves Forward

Goodbye Mr. McQueen, hello Ms. Burton. Long live McQueen.

Style.com covered the passing of Alexander McQueen and the showing of the final collection he designed, but something that was equally important this year was the success of Sarah Burtonâ€s first show as the new designer for the McQueen label. The passing of such a genius creative mind was indeed tragic, and the showing of McQueenâ€s last collection was a special moment, but Burtonâ€s signal that the brand can honor McQueenâ€s legacy while moving forward was absolutely stellar.

John Gallianoâ€s Dior Couture Wows

Dior haute couture was in full bloom this year when John Galliano showed his Spring 2011 collection of flower-inspired looks. The imagery and execution of the designs combined with the high, tulip-like hair of the models for a full package display of gorgeousness and perhaps our favorite moment in fashion of 2010.

While millions of kids will probably unwrap one of those famous pink boxes this Christmas, there are a few yet unrealized fashion dolls who would be fantastic to see in plastic.

Christian Dior Couture Barbie

Too young for Couture?

Bloggers and editors saw elements of inspiration from Twilight in the most recent collection – which was fittingly opened by the new face of the brand, Freja Beha Erichsen – but no agreement on whether that is a good or bad thing seems to have surfaced. WWD felt the clothes were beautiful but too youthful for a couture line and the Telegraph thought the collection was more confident and signature to the new designers, while Style.com admits the pitch to a younger audience was peculiar but perhaps genius. {The Cut}

Or too Boring?

Style.com may have hit the nail on the head, as luxury fashion labels have attempted to keep their footing of late by reaching out to Generation Y. The looks may also come to symbolize a new era for Valentino.

The youthful slant to the collection is smart, but there are too many dropped waistlines and bows for our taste and the clothes are a bit bland, a kiss of death for haute couture, which we look to for the kind of over the top fantasy that would be out of place in ready to wear collections. The blah-ness of it is ironic considering the collection departs from their more typical Valentino lines, which critics found boring as well. Nothing is terribly wrong with the collection – the sheer hoop dress looks like a toned down take on Lady Gaga’s Grammy dress, but it looks like Chiuri and Piccioli are light years away from wowing like John Gallianoâ€s flower-inspired masterpiece for Dior did earlier in the week.

Filthy? Sure. Couture? Not so much.

In keeping with the predictability, the pieces in Farley’s  line are exactly what one would expect a loud-mouthed, over-bronzed star of a reality show to design. Some highlights include a sweetheart-necked mesh top with an overlaying, gold-patterned heart that appears to be pointing at a very specific area on the modelâ€s body and a white-feathered corset number that looks more like lingerie than a top. In fact, it is not clear whether most of the pieces are clothing or lingerie. Now the spring collections from many a designer featured lingerie inspired looks, so if there’s any kind of silver lining here, in a roundabout way JWoww may actually be on trend. Still, while some of the outfits cover more than expected, but if you’ve seen the inventory at Frederick’s of Hollywood, you’ve seen this collection. If you wouldn’t wear anything purchased at Frederick’s outside of the privacy of your own home – well, same thing.  If you’re into train wrecks, you can catch images of the entire collection here.

While we’re on the subject, can we make the case for restricting the word couture to oh, perhaps – actual couture? Couture isn’t Juicy or Filthy, and while we love a high/low mix, throwing the word couture on a label isn’t fooling anyone into thinking the “high” part is covered.

Real couture? That’s John Galliano, whose fall 2010 couture collection for Dior debuted in a courtyard of the Rodin Museum in Paris this week. The flower-inspired line is fantastical, beyond exquisite and raking in rave reviews. By including warmer fabrics and fall accessories in addition to dark lipstick on his models, Galliano brilliantly surprises by using what is normally a spring staple to inspire a fall line and making it work. If you havenâ€t had a chance to see it yet, check it out here. Totally worth your work procrastination time.

Cellophane headpieces and raffia belts made it all but impossible to miss the “women are flowers” theme of the collection, and Galliano proved to be more than capable of tending the garden.

On the opening day of the Paris couture, the casual insolence of the draped one-shoulder outfit that closed the show was a provocation. “Beat this,” it declared. – Tim Blanks {Style.com}

Indeed.

Christian Dior Couture favorites

view the entire collection at Style.com

Determined not to be left behind, if one of your new year’s resolutions involves making a more memorable style statement, a new photo tome by the photographer Roxanne Lowit will sure provide lots of food for thought. Published by teNeues, it’s a treasure trove of backstage photos and extravaganzas during Galliano’s reign at Dior Couture, one of the most active idea labs in fashion. Lyrical pictures aside, it is like having a fearless (and tasteful) drag queen as your style advisor, along with choice words and insights from fashion journalist Suzy Menkes, Barney’s Simon Doonan, and Fashion Institute Curator Valerie Steele. Study hard and you might just beat those sloppily dressed divas to the next trend before the ball drops.

Read full story {Hintmag}