PARIS, October 3, 2002 – The method to John Galliano’s Dior madness is no longer in debate. The designer has re-branded the legendary Parisian house via high-octane couture shows that broach the wilder shores of creativity and are then filtered down to instantly recognizable ready-to-wear pieces for Christian Dior addicts.

Galliano's spring show stayed true to his now well-established formula, as slinky cargo pants, fanny-hugging mini parachute dresses with voluminous tops, Hollywood-showgirl frocks and amped-up bikinis rolled effortlessly off the production line. He displayed accessible versions of the gargantuan leather jackets, strap-bound leather tubes and plunging goddess dresses that appeared in his July couture show, sending a current of new fluorescents, khakis and metallics down the runway.

There were some pulse-racing moments—the loud little Dior-printed dresses and a sexy gold bikini with a touch of screen-siren ruching in the bra—and some change in direction, as ethnic references were discarded in favor of all-out glamour. But there is now a sense of familiarity to this process and a feeling that Galliano’s poetry is getting lost in the machine.

– Sarah Mower