PICTURE THIS – Nov 14, 2019

John Galliano for Dior

Photographs by Robert Fairer (Thames & Hudson, £98)

Galliano spent nearly 15 years at Dior before his fall from grace in 2011 over an anti-Semitic rant, and Fairer’s backstage photos capture not only the designer’s uninhibited creations, but also the behind-the-scenes frenzy at his shows. 

This stunning photograph was taken at the show celebrating the centenary of Dior’s birth, and embodies Galliano’s use of corsets, tulle, polka dots and flowers. 

The designer always insisted the venue was part of the story, so models would slink in 5in heels down catwalks at the Paris Opera, Musée Rodin or a station on the Paris Metro. 

With a rousing cry of ‘Maximum Modelling!’, his fashion extravaganzas would begin…