White ankle boots were a little too Lolita-esque

Every year, there is one collection that we all pine for. No other show is ever quite as sumptuous, delectable or inspired as Dior Couture, yet this year, John Galliano’s artfully-crafted pieces seemed a little lacklustre and, dare we say it – clichéd.

The first part of the collection consisted of equestrian-inspired styles; dainty nipped in waists were the order of the day, paired with stately blouses and sassy fitted tailoring. There was an obvious nod to Dior’s ‘New Look’ as well as the Belle Epoque silhouettes that Galliano has so cleverly reinterpreted in the past. All fine so far, if a little predictable.

There were hats too, with the delightfully fluffy and wistful millinery provided by His Royal Highness of Headwear, Stephen Jones. However one couldn’t help but feel that the combination of dreamy millinery and haughty, white ankle boots was just a little Pretty Woman; a lady who is trying to be elegant but doesn’t quite realise how much her shoes reveal about her true identity. It recalled that moment in My Fair Lady, when Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle shrieks “Come on Dover! Move ya bloomin’ arse!”

Given the beauty of the fabric used for these two piece ensembles, and the intense detailing that must have taken months of sore eyes and fiddly fingers, we can possibly forgive the slightly haphazard combinations. Moving on to the evening gowns however, which are naturally the pieces that generally fill us with intense anticipation, we find another rather bizarre mélange of exquisite craftsmanship and something much more ordinary.  The style might be dubbed ‘Chocolate Box Chic’; with dresses laden down with awkward bows across the décollete and glittery net accents. Worse still, are the dinner jacket-inspired bodices, which rather reminded us of Victoria Beckham circa 2000. Where Galliano’s use of colour has been painterly in many couture collections, here the deep tones seemed heavy handed and lacking in imagination.

Dated silhouettes and crass glitter were a let down

Granted, there were a few ensembles that caught our eye with their structural intrigue, such as the strapless fitted gown crafted in a shimmering lavender grey boasting a magnificent oversized rear bow. The final piece, always the most extravagant, appealed to our inner little girl, with dazzling beading applied to a waterfall of tulle petals. But even this coup de theatre would have been perfect dress-up fodder for one of your more elegant Barbie dolls.

When compared with the cool and collected runways of Chanel this year, whose pastel suits made us positively ache with a need just to stroke them (let alone buy them), it seems as if Mr Galliano has been left out in the shade. Ellie Saab and Alexis Mabille offered evening wear that was simply charming, and it seemed that only real trait that distinguished the Dior collection (which usually stands apart from the rest of the couture troops in terms of sheer imagination),  was in fact the name itself. The Dior finish was there, the Dior fabrics were there, but there was definitely something that Galliano had left on his sketchpad.

You can view the Dior Spring/Summer Couture collection 2010 here.