KT020-012 Listing.qxp_Layout 1 19/05/2016 12:37 Page 60
John Galliano’s degree show. Lot 274 © Niall McInerney, Bloomsbury Fashion Photography Archive
270 270 A Westwood/McLaren checked wool dress, ‘Witches’ collection, Autumn-Winter, 198384, World’s End labelled, with pointed sleeves, low scooped neck, front pleats held in place by ceramic toggles, large pointed, draped pocket to front skirt side, bust approx 86-92cm, 34-36in £700 - 1000 271 A Vivienne Westwood red glazed organza 'Time Machine' show piece, Autumn-Winter, 1988-89, un-labelled, comprising: bustier with silk jersey sides, matching mini-crini ra-ra skirt; together with a Time Machine blue velvet bustier, red label, size 12, and a later dyed blue airtex mini-crini, busts approx 86cm, 34in, waist approx 71cm, 28in (4)
The red acetate ensemble was bought as a press sample by the vendor. £400 - 600 272 A Westwood/McLaren ‘Witches’ collection pin-striped wool jacket, Autumn-Winter, 1983-84, World’s End label, size M, the loose jacket with grey wool points to the shoulders, single grey wool lapel, doublebreasted with antler buttons, lined in white drabbet, chest 112cm, 44in £700 - 1000 60
273 A Vivienne Westwoood ‘Mini-Crini’ ensemble, Spring-Summer, 1985, unlabelled, the silver satin skirt with plastic orb buttons, cotton jersey flecked top and white leather star belt, busts approx 91cm, 36in, waists approx 71cm, 28in (3)
Paris....My show was very styled up when everyone else was being very minimalist very Armani. The idea of these wonderful terrors tearing down aristocratic curtains and turning them into waistcoats and coats, inspired by the French Romantics'.
The vendor recalls that Vivienne’s mum sewed the buttons onto the silver skirt as it had come into the World’s End shop with them missing. £400 - 600
The show took place at Jubilee Hall in Covent Garden. Each of the students showed half a dozen or so pieces each, and Galliano was selected by the lecturers as the grand finale.
274 A rare and important John Galliano ‘Incroyables’ coat, Saint Martin’s degree show collection, July 1984, un-labelled, of dark-grey herring-bone weave cotton, the over-sized frock-coat with one curved and one notched lapel, the wide sleeves with cuffs in striped moiré, the two large poacher pockets are open at the top but also with diagonal side vents for access, decorative handkerchief-like printed cotton faced panels hang above them, long centre-back vent edged in contrasting cottons, the trailing hem and tails can be buttoned-back in a variety of styles, chest approx 117cm, 46in
Galliano’s degree show, ‘Les Incroyables & Les Merveilleuses’, was something of a ‘fashion moment’, which launched his career. The clothes were inspired by post French revolutionary dress, which Galliano had researched at the Victoria and Albert Museum. He said of this collection: 'I was looking like this down-and-out French tramp. Living it, breathing it. Drawing by candlelight. Producing parchment paper stained with tea. Drawing with a calligraphy pen and sepia ink. I could just imagine these fantastic creatures marching, running across the wet shiny cobblestones of
Joan Burnstein of leading London retailer Browns was watching in the audience. She recalled: ‘The atmosphere was so exciting. Some (of the 24 or so student collections) were pretty bad. Then, all of a sudden, these wonderful pieces came out.’ Galliano’s rebels strode out with white eyeshadow, frizzed and disheveled hair, held in place by knitted cotton headbands with revolutionary cockades and matching waist sashes. The frilly oversized shirts were worn under patterned waistcoats with pennies used as buttons, combined with giant frock coats, riding boots or flat leather shoes with large tongues and bows. Mrs Burnstein approached Galliano after the show, offering to buy the whole collection and giving over to him the Brown’s front windows. Occasionally waistcoats from this collection appear on the market (which were more easily combined into an everyday 1980s wardrobe) but very few of these swashbuckling coats seem to have been made and only two others are known to have survived - one of which was purchased at Browns by the singer Diana Ross. £10000 - 15000