So by now we've all heard that John Galliano, Dior genius, is a rampant racist and anti-Semite. I have Jewish friends who just shrug at my outrage, because to them, it's not a surprise. Why am I always surprised? I guess I just hope that we are better than this, and when we are not, it's damn depressing.
As a white-looking but not white person, trust me that I have heard my fair share of slightly and not-so-slightly racist comments. But they usually come from people that I can go, yeah, of course you're a racist jerk, and just move on. When it's someone cosmopolitan, traveled, artistic, I guess my own prejudices kick in and I think, how? How can you possibly be this ignorant? No one is immune from being a bigot, even someone from a minority group himself. Galliano is an openly gay man. Surely he has had his own share of being discriminated against, despite being in such a gay-friendly industry.
It's just disgusting, and there's no place for it in this world, but especially not in fashion, where people are celebrated for their differences, as we should be. I find it hard to separate the art from the artist. Some people can, but I can't. To me, Polanski is a rapist and that's that, no matter how many good movies he made. And Galliano is now blacklisted until further notice. I'm not saying people can't make mistakes, and get counseling and come back from it, but it's rare. You have to want to change your mentality, and at that age, that's a very difficult thing. So horrible.
This is worth talking about, though. Because to hide it, and act like it didn't happen, and treat it like it's an anomaly, well, that lulls us into a false sense of security. This mentality is out there, and we're seeing it come out more and more. So we need to be thinking about it, and trying hard to make sure that we aren't contributing to something so hateful.
I feel incredibly superficial discussing fashion after all that, but even though I can take Natalie Portman in only small doses, her decision to forgo Dior for Rodarte was a smart one. She was one of the few who dared to wear a non-red, non-metallic dress.
My faves were Mila Kunis, Anne Hathaway's red dress, and of course, Cate Blanchett. Say what you will about whether or not *you* would wear it, she looked luminous in that Givenchy. And I love that she always, always takes risks and wears something unique. Nothing wears Cate; she is always in charge. Can I also say that I loved that when she smiled, you saw the wrinkles around her eyes? It's so great that she isn't Botox-ing herself to death like everyone else in Hollywood.
I also liked Gwyneth Paltrow's shiny Calvin Klein dress, even though I thought she had seen better days. Too tan, and looking rather tired. Hailee Steinfeld's dress was lovely, and age-appropriate. And I liked Halle Berry's blush gown. Annette Bening looked great, and so did Helen Mirren. Those ladies know what works. But it was Mandy Moore's dress that I really fell for. Just amazing:
All pics blatantly stolen from here.
