Well over ten years ago I found myself having a conversation with a couturier. It was one evening on 57th street well after all the stores had closed for the day. I had stopped in front of Dior to look at the pieces in the window. “What do you think?” asked a voice from beside me. The man who asked the question was James Gallanos. Here I was standing on 57th street talking with a designer who from what I knew of at the time was this made-to-measure god.
It was clear that what we both were looking at was not to his liking. I shared with him that I was an aspiring designer and that I knew of his work. What I remember most clearly was that he said “it’s not the same” he described having special zippers made to match stripes on a gown and that the business of fashion would never be the same. You could see his passion for the art of making clothes and how the woman wearing the creations was what inspired him. Things may not be the same and some of the fantastic players may no longer be in the game (Lacroix, Ungaro, Yves Saint Laurent, Versace) but the beauty and fantasy of couture still exists.
Coverage of the Spring 11 Couture collections on http://www.style.com/
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Lovely little insight.
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