Photo taken by Peter Lindbergh // Courtesy of *Vogue*

The Princess and the Pea, Les Incroyables, acrobats, and pharaohs—all symbols of the ingenious theatricality that was John Galliano’s British punk fashion invasion of France in the 1990s and early 2000s. Known for his storytelling prowess, the Gibraltan born, South London bred designer took French fashion by storm with his sensational runway shows and innovative collections.

While Galliano is famous for his legendary shows and iconic, sought-after pieces such as the newsprint dress or the Dior saddle bag, few may realize his profound impact on the sexual aesthetic in women’s fashion. Obsessed with the bias-cut technique and concept of sexual appeal, he transformed lingerie into fashion and popularized racy clothing.

Dior Fall 2005 Haute Couture by John Galliano

Dior Fall 2000 Ready-to-Wear by John Galliano // Courtesy of Robert Fairer and *Vogue*

An eclectic character, Galliano established his reputation as a master storyteller while steering Dior into profitability from 1996 to 2011. Each collection told a new tale through shows that transported viewers into another dimension, quickly becoming the “hottest ticket” in town (New York Times). With every collection, Galliano also transformed his own look, cosplaying different characters—a buccaneer one season, Napoleon the next—before strutting down the runway for his final bow.

The Galliano craze, however, came crashing to a halt after an antisemitic outburst in 2011 that led to his removal from Dior. After a brief hiatus, the designer was appointed as Creative Director of Maison Margiela, where he has remained since 2014.

John Galliano after Dior Spring/Summer 2007 Haute Couture // Courtesy of *Vogue* and PA Photos

Zendaya at the 2024 Met Gala wearing a recreation of Dior Spring 1996 Haute Couture gown by John Galliano // Courtesy of Getty Images

If you’ve been paying even slight attention to fashion this year, you’ve likely witnessed the buzz surrounding Maison Margiela’s Spring 2024 Couture show, a clear homage to the former Galliano runway era. Marking his decade-long tenure as Creative Director of Maison Margiela, the designer also left his fingerprints all over the Met Gala’s red carpet looks, dressing celebrities from Kim Kardashian to Zendaya.

For fashion fanatics, John Galliano’s apparent resurgence comes as no surprise. His untamable creativity has been evident since his Central Saint Martins graduate collection and subsequent appointment at Givenchy in 1995. Galliano replaced Hubert de Givenchy himself, representing the first British designer to lead a French fashion house since Charles Frederick Worth.

John Galliano Spring/Summer 1993 Ready-to-Wear // Courtesy of *Vogue*

During his tenure at Givenchy and Dior, Galiano introduced iconic elements and pieces such as the slip dress, sheer garments, spaghetti straps, mini skirts, mini dresses, and high slits. Andre Leon Talley once said of Galliano’s designs, “everything [is] inspired by lingerie and by the curves of a woman’s body” (The New Yorker).

Galiano became infatuated with the bias-cut technique, which involves cutting against the grain rather than along the seams, allowing the fabric to hug the body’s curves. Before runway shows at Dior, Galliano’s team would heat up the models’ skin so that the fabric fibers would cling to the body, making the garments “even more sensual, even more mercurial” (Vogue Scandinavia).

Givenchy Fall 1996 Couture by John Galliano // Courtesy of *Vogue*

John Galliano Fall/Winter 1994 // Courtesy of *Vogue*

While at Givenchy, Galliano returned notes to his fleet of seamstresses with instructions “tighter, smaller, tighter, smaller, tighter, smaller,” eventually expressing in an interview with The New Yorker that his “goal is really very simple: when a man looks at a woman wearing one of my dresses, I would like him basically to be saying to himself, ‘I have to f**k her.’” Colin McDowel also notes in the documentary, Galliano, that his “aesthetic often focused on seduction.” In several of Galliano’s interviews, he chooses erotically rooted words to describe his inspiration and collections, such as ‘seduce’, ‘seductive’, ‘sensual’.

Since his 1984 graduate collection at Central Saint Martins, titled “Les Incroyables,” it is evident that Galliano possessed an infatuation with scandalous dressing. Les Incroyables refers to a group of French aristocrats from the 18th century Directore period who defied social convention by opting for provocative attire (Vogue). Galliano further elaborated on this theme for his second Givenchy couture collection, which, according to Vogue, “read as extensions of slip and lingerie dressing.”

Christian Dior Fall/Winter 1997 Ready-to-Wear by John Galliano // Courtesy of The Fashion Spot

With the current trend cycle, where sheer skirts, corsets, slip dresses, and mini skirts reign supreme, Galliano’s impact on modern fashion has never been clearer or more relevant. Sheer dresses and lace mini skirts from John Galliano’s Spring/Summer 1993 Ready-to-Wear collection look as if they could have been plucked from an e-commerce site in 2024. Even after his departure from the ultra-feminine coded Dior, Galliano brought his passion for accentuating the body to Maison Margiela. This extension is evident from his debut ready-to-wear collection in 2015, featuring tight waisted corsets and translucent tops, to his latest 2024 couture line, showcasing sexy sheer looks with exaggerated proportions through padding and corsetry.

Maison Margiela Spring/Summer 2015 Couture by John Galliano // Courtesy of *Vogue*

Maison Margiela Spring 2024 Couture // Photo courtesy of Go Runway

While some may argue that this type of seductive ethos is centered around the outdated lens of the male gaze, consider that Galliano’s creative vision extends beyond mere seduction: by celebrating and highlighting the body, he seeks to inspire confidence and empowerment. With his shorter, tighter, and sheerer clothing, he has broken through conventional barriers to dressing, much like Les Incroyables and the 1920s flappers did for their generations. The next time we slide into a sensual slip dress, let us remember that we have Galliano’s reverie to thank.

Article by Romi Bachar, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Georgia Wallace, Graphic Design Intern, PhotoBook Magazine

Beyond the Bias Cut: John Galliano’s Sensual Revolution