John Galliano's Best Moments at Christian Dior

In honor of John Galliano's birthday, look back at some of the designer's most unforgettable moments while running the ship at Christian Dior.

John Galliano’s years at the helm of Dior were a golden age of couture, innovation, and spectacle. Drawing on Christian Dior’s original New Look and notion of femininity, Galliano crafted sartorial interpretations of both history and pop culture. The British designer created collections-cum-narratives around themes like The Matrix’s dark, evil romance, or, for his own line at the time, Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina and the lost Romanov Princess Anastasia. In the 2000s, a Galliano show was just as much an elaborate work of theatre as it was a presentation of clothing.

The wunderkind designer was recognized widely for his work at the French maison. He was named a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and a Royal Designer for Industry. Galliano won British Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards—on four separate occasions. After his time at Dior came to an end due to widely reported racist remarks, the designer spent several years out of the sartorial spotlight before being appointed Crreative Director of Maison Margiela in 2015.

While the innovative artist has had success at the Belgian-born label, fans and critics alike still regard his years at Christian Dior's helm an unreplicable era in fashion. L'OFFICIEL celebrates Galliano on his birthday by remembering some of his most iconic moments at the House of Dior.

1 / 10

In 1996, Galliano designed a floor length navy gown for Princess Diana's trip to New York City.

Nicole Kidman's embroided yellow gown for the 1997 Oscars gave a young Galliano credibility as a major designer.

Naomi Campbell walked in Dior's Fall/Winter 1997 Haute Couture show in a gilded ensemble.

Galliano introduced the Dior Saddle Bag in 1999, and it soon became a status symbol among early aughts fashion girls like Paris Hilton and Sarah Jessica Parker (and more notably her 'Sex and the City' character Carrie Bradshaw).

Galliano cited Chinese and Japanese cultures as his inspiration for Dior's Spring/Summer 2003 Haute Couture collection, themes that he would return to in his work.

Dior's Spring/Summer 2004 Haute Couture collection was heavily influenced by Galliano's aerial tour of Egypt.

For the Fall/Winter 2005 Haute Couture show, Galliano illustrated an eerie kind of romanticism using Edwardian themes and robust silhouettes.

Dior's Fall/Winter 2006 Haute Couture collection paid tribute to female powerhouses through French Renaissance imagery and motifs.

Gisele Bündchen wore a Dior Haute Couture gown by Galliano to the 2006 Met Gala.

In a "Bal des artistes," Galliano celebrated his 10-year anniversary at Dior and the Maison's 60th birthday with a grandiose Fall/Winter 2007 Haute Couture collection featuring some of his favorite muses.