“And so it ends” I said sighing dramatically and looking at my now black TV. Ok, maybe I’m being a bit of a drama queen but, according to the looks that walked this year’s Academy Awards red carpet, dramatic is the way to go. How else would you describe Lupita’s astonishing, custom-made gown? I mean, the girl was sporting a total of 6,000 pearls! If that doesn’t qualify as dramatic I don’t know what does. The truth is that it’s the Oscars, and because of that there is this sort of silent agreement going on between the audience watching them and the actresses attending them: “I sit through four long hours of speeches and performances and you show up wearing unbelievably amazing gowns”. This is the reason behind Julianne Moore’s sequined Chanel couture number, Lady Gaga’s huge custom-made Alaïa gown (ok, maybe that has less to do with the Oscars and more to do with Lady Gaga being Lady Gaga) or Rosamund Pike’s curve-hugging red Givenchy look. This year though something changed: even with a red carpet filled with unforgettable and dramatic looks – hello! Care to talk about Emma Stone’s backless chartreuse Elie Saab?-the attention was less on the gowns and more on the fantastic performances given by the actresses wearing them. This was a result of the #AskHerMore twitter campaign that encouraged interviewers to ask the actresses more than the usual “Who are you wearing?” question. The campaign found the support of many actresses - Reese Witherspoon even tweeted about it before walking down the red carpet – as well as of interviewers like Abc’s Robin Ross who never asked the infamous question. After all, the reason why those women were there was because of the amazing and challenging work they’d done both in front and behind the scenes. The dresses were just the added bonus

You know how the saying goes: better late than never! 

Even if it’s been a few days since the Grammys and the BAFTA took place last Sunday we just had to reveal our Best Dressed list for the night and gush some more about the pure and simple perfection that was Rihanna’s dress – didn’t she look so good you just wanted to eat her up in her cupcake-like dress? – or the major diva moment that French actress, Léa Seydoux had while walking the red carpet in a magical Prada gown along with her Spectre co-star Monica Bellucci. So, without further ado, here’s the best looks from both the Grammys and the BAFTAs!  

There were many people who thought that John Galliano wasn’t the best choice for the role of creative director at Maison Margiela – these days it seems like it’s better to take the name of the founder off the label and leave only his surname – and all these people were proven wrong in Monday’s presentation of his first couture collection that took place in London. Everything, from the bright and clean white of the room to the skimpy shorts and platform shoes, was a perfect mix of the two esthetics. 

All the looks were based on the ideas of artisanal, recycling and deconstructing – three key words engraved in the Maison’s DNA – but it was their mix with Galliano’s love for romantic yet daring silhouettes and dramatic moments that gave us the most exciting pieces of the collection. In true Margiela fashion every single piece concealed a huge amount of details so much so that Christopher Baily, creative director at Burberry and one of the few lucky people invited to the runway debut, said that he “wanted to keep pressing the pause button, to study, look closer at, play with and enjoy the clothes”.

As a matter of fact, this would have been the only way to truly appreciate every single element that went into creating the collection: a sleeveless canvas jacket was trimmed with matchbox cars, a crimson red coat was embellished with red lacquered seashells arranged in the fashion of Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s paintings and a long, black, wool coat was covered with toy soldiers. Galliano then balanced these heavy-detailed looks with other simpler, plainer garments: their quiet, monochrome perfection offered a moment of breath in an otherwise dense collection. But it was the last look that walked down the runway that had everyone in the audience gasp: a red, grand ball gown fronted with jewels, mirrors, portrait miniatures and more. To top the whole look off the model wore an organza-made, bejeweled day of the dead mask and an equally bejeweled glove. 

Instead of the grand exit that we all expected, Galliano took a blink-and-you-missed-it bow wearing none of his flamboyant signature looks, but the mansion’s traditional white coat; maybe to show that this time he’s there to stay. As shoe-designer, Manolo Blanick brilliantly declared “the boy is back!” Yes, he is indeed.   

Click inside to see the whole collection!

It seems like this time the rumor had it right! John Galliano is the new creative director at Maison Martin Margiela! The news was confirmed today by OTB, Margiela’s parent company. “Margiela is ready for a new charismatic creative soul,” said Renzo Rosso, president of OTB. “John Galliano is one of the greatest, undisputed talents of all time — a unique, exceptional couturier for a maison that always challenged and innovated the world of fashion. I look forward to his return to create that fashion dream that only he can create, and wish him to here find his new home.” In these last few years Galliano, who has been Dior’s creative director from 1997 up to the 2011 controversy that lead to his resignation, has been keeping a low profile and this marks his comeback to the fashion scene. And what a comeback! Galliano will be responsible for all Margiela lines including women’s ready-to-wear and couture. He’s going to make his runway debut for the house in January, during couture week and we can’t wait to see which astonishingly visionary clothes this true fashion genius is going to present!