Yes, the world’s finances are in turmoil, so it’s a bit of a welcome escape that Paris Haute Couture week has begun. Instead of the usual Bois de Boulogne, it was lavishly held at Versailles no less, in the Orangerie. Which is, by the way, a sort of fancier conservatory or greenhouse, called so by the fashionable folk from the 17th to 19th century.

As it was Dior’s 60th anniversary, Galliano, resplendent in his Matador-inspired ensemble, went all out to express, or rather, show off his creative genius by a collection that was a tribute to his art collection – where the silhouette and embellishments echoed the inspiration and technique of history’s great artists. People expected him perhaps pay homage to Dior’s beginnings – the full skirted look of 1947, but instead he surprised and delighted the audience with his clever choice of theme.

“...A black-gloved Gisele Bundchen, with arched eyebrows and exquisitely judged beauty spot, represented Irving Penn; a model in a jacquard suit and black venetian mask referred to Picasso’s blue period. Angela Lindvall wore a Monet-inspired gown on which pale green leaves and pinkish white petals were stitched as lilies on a pond, while Degas was referenced in a simple ballet-slipper toned dress with tiny block shoes woven into the model’s hair….“