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Galliano fall: A trip down the Nile
July 21, 1997
Web posted at: 3:55 a.m. EDT (0755 GMT)From Correspondent Elsa Klensch
PARIS (CNN) -- A schoolgirl who dreams of being a movie star and playing Cleopatra, the role of a lifetime -- that's the inspiration behind the dramatic fall collection from London designer John Galliano.
Galliano says his schoolgirl first experiments with trying to glamorize her uniform by adding high heels, hats, fur and makeup. Finally, she gets her big break on the silver screen and becomes the much sought-after Queen of the Nile.
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"It's a narrative. I always have a narrative at Galliano," the designer explains. "I find it adds richness to the clothes to know who the woman is, what she's doing and the richness around her."
Galliano says the inspirations for his collection are Egypt, the 1930s and the punk spirit. And while Galliano says he never translates his inspirations literally on the runway, he does have fun with Cleopatra-styled wigs, makeup and body decoration.
"I drew parallels between the hieroglyphics, pop art, spray art, tattoos -- just the history fascinates me," he says.
As for the clothes, Galliano believes they are completely modern. He even includes a seamless dress made together with a jeweler.
"It's actually about 14,000 little metal links that have all been put together by hand," he explains. "It's quite a wonderful dress."
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