<p>And of all the many designers turning catwalks into underwear displays this summer 2010 season, who can do better the classic seduction of a severe, belted jacket over ethereal underwear?<br /><br />One man raved about the Christian Dior show that Galliano sent out Friday: Bruce Willis. “It was very sexy — I’d like to see Emma wearing that,” the Hollywood star said, referring to his new wife, who was wearing a more discreet Dior outfit to sit front row.<br /><br />The designer himself, who took his bow as a shadow figure on a screen, to fit with the show’s film noir theme, talked backstage about the austerity allure of a young Lauren Bacall and of Humphrey Bogart trench coats, but not of the recent solemn anniversary of the end of World War II that the soundtrack of air-raid sirens suggested.<br /><br />The models were certainly 1940s sirens of a different kind, with their Rita Hayworth hair falling in a curtain around strident red lips. There were lacy shorts or sheer dresses with a built-in band, suggesting a garter belt beneath, that were supported by those 1940s platform sandals that already flooded shoe shops last summer. <br /><br />That was the problem with this collection. For all its delicacy, and prettiness, was there a single idea that took fashion — or Dior — forward?<br /><br />Everything seemed like a reworking of early Galliano collections under his own name, but now with all the finesse and studio support that he has from Dior. <br /><br />The chiaroscuro effects were superbly done, with a sheen on translucent fabrics creating charming dresses for the cocktail hour. The clothes will no doubt come with a silken lining, although Galliano joked backstage — where he was congratulated by Rihanna wearing one of Stephen Jones’ cocky hats — that the trompe-l’oeil petticoats removed the need to wear anything under the evening dresses. <br /><br /><br />They were certainly gorgeous, as beautiful bodies swayed inside these filmy (and familiar) dresses. But ultimately, this was a lightweight collection — in both senses.<br />The season’s leitmotif is, indeed, lightness. <br /><br />Visible bras were embroidered with flowers and therefore meadow sweet rather than nightclub raunchy.<br /></p>
<p>And of all the many designers turning catwalks into underwear displays this summer 2010 season, who can do better the classic seduction of a severe, belted jacket over ethereal underwear?<br /><br />One man raved about the Christian Dior show that Galliano sent out Friday: Bruce Willis. “It was very sexy — I’d like to see Emma wearing that,” the Hollywood star said, referring to his new wife, who was wearing a more discreet Dior outfit to sit front row.<br /><br />The designer himself, who took his bow as a shadow figure on a screen, to fit with the show’s film noir theme, talked backstage about the austerity allure of a young Lauren Bacall and of Humphrey Bogart trench coats, but not of the recent solemn anniversary of the end of World War II that the soundtrack of air-raid sirens suggested.<br /><br />The models were certainly 1940s sirens of a different kind, with their Rita Hayworth hair falling in a curtain around strident red lips. There were lacy shorts or sheer dresses with a built-in band, suggesting a garter belt beneath, that were supported by those 1940s platform sandals that already flooded shoe shops last summer. <br /><br />That was the problem with this collection. For all its delicacy, and prettiness, was there a single idea that took fashion — or Dior — forward?<br /><br />Everything seemed like a reworking of early Galliano collections under his own name, but now with all the finesse and studio support that he has from Dior. <br /><br />The chiaroscuro effects were superbly done, with a sheen on translucent fabrics creating charming dresses for the cocktail hour. The clothes will no doubt come with a silken lining, although Galliano joked backstage — where he was congratulated by Rihanna wearing one of Stephen Jones’ cocky hats — that the trompe-l’oeil petticoats removed the need to wear anything under the evening dresses. <br /><br /><br />They were certainly gorgeous, as beautiful bodies swayed inside these filmy (and familiar) dresses. But ultimately, this was a lightweight collection — in both senses.<br />The season’s leitmotif is, indeed, lightness. <br /><br />Visible bras were embroidered with flowers and therefore meadow sweet rather than nightclub raunchy.<br /></p>