Paris Fashion Week is over, but we're still hearing about John Galliano, who was famously fired by Dior on the eve of the shows after a bar fight in which he allegedly hurled anti-Semitic comments and after a video surfaced showing him in the midst of another similar rant. Now Philipe Virgitti, the male half of the couple Galliano insulted at the bar, says he doesn't think the designer is anti-Semitic. "For me, it was a simple bar dispute," Virgitti said in an interview. "I would like Mr. Galliano to benefit from this unhappy story by drinking a little less and getting back to making the dresses and shows that he did so well." [The Cut]   

Target celebrated five years of its Go International series of designer capsule collections --and the re-release of 30 of the top styles -- with a party Thursday night at New York's Ace Hotel attended by stars including Chloe Sevigny, Liv Tyler and Lake Bell and designers such as Richard Chai, Tracy Feith, Thakoon Panichgul and Anna Sui. [Racked] 

Matthew Williamson is the next designer to produce a capsule collection for Macy's, as part of the department store chain's strategy to woo hip younger customers. The 30-piece collection has a 1970s bohemian flair and will go on sale April 13, priced from $50 to $300. On tap after Williamson? Karl Lagerfeld. [FabSugar]

A classic fragrance is skewing younger too, with the planned April launch of  L’Air de Nina Ricci, described as the "next-generation L’Air du Temps." [WWD] (Subscription required.)

It's not the only one: Guerlain is coming out with a new version of the 86-year-old Shalimar (my personal favorite once upon a time.) [WWD] (Subscription required.)

Gilt MAN, the members-only fashion sales site for men, has engaged well-dressed New York Ranger Sean Avery to curate a series of three weekly sales, each focusing on a different phase of the life of a style-conscious professional. First up on Friday  is “At Work,” to be followed on subsequent Fridays by  "night on the town" and "ultimate weekend" looks. [Gilt MAN] 

Make Up Forever is out to prove its foundation does its stuff. The photos in a new ad campaign are unretouched -- and that's certified by a notary public. For the beauty industry, this is pretty shocking news! [Style]

--Susan Denley

Photo: Designer John Galliano. Credit: Horacio Villalobos, EPA 

Just days after termination proceedings against its designer John Galliano commenced, the much-anticipated Christian Dior show took place -- as scheduled -- at Paris Fashion Week. Our fashion critic Booth Moore has all the details fresh off the runway. All The Rage

Lady Gaga said "I do" to a CNN camera operator. Thoughts of what the wedding dress would look like won't stop running through my mind. CNN

Balmain designer Christophe Decarnin was absent from the label’s recent runway show and is reportedly undergoing treatment at a mental hospital where he's apparently been since January. Fashionology

Blake Lively attended a Chanel dinner looking like the White Swan. She didn't wear Chanel on her feet however, the Gossip Girl is loyal to Louboutin after the designer recently named a pair of shoes after her. Daily Mail

Carla Bruni Sarkozy, France's first lady, paired trendy lacy (and a tad racy) black tights with her cocktail dress for a state dinner at the Elysee Palace in Paris last night, raising quite a few eyebrows. I think she looks chic, but it would be nice to see her out of ballet flats once in a while. Stylelist

Louis Vuitton has settled a lawsuit in which a man who purchased Takashi Murakami pieces from MOCA sued the French luxury house after learning the artwork was not limited edition as advertised, but made of the same material used for LV's coveted bags. Los Angeles Times

UGG Australia steps up its game and adds a luxury line of shoes and bags to the otherwise casual collection that until now has been a perfect fit for the college crowd and Snooki, who has in the past name the brand as one of her favorite "designers." WWD

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photo: Blake Lively, the new face of Chanel's Mademoiselle handbag, in New York on Wednesday. Credit: Billy Farrell, Chanel

 
With the swishing of Karlie Kloss' cashmere cloak on the runway, the $28-billion Dior fashion house proved Friday that the show will go on, even without its flamboyant designer of nearly 15 years, John Galliano.

At the Rodin Museum, the crowd outside waiting to get in was so thick with looky-loos and TV cameras, it was almost impossible to squeeze through the door.

Photos: The fashions of Galliano for Dior

Inside, the well-manicured gardens and noble sculptures was a striking contrast to the frenzy. The show was held in a tent with a runway 196 feet in length -- more than half the size of a football field -- with an elegant mirrored backdrop and chandeliers evoking an old-school couture salon.

It was packed with more than 1,500 people, and the front row was star-studded, but not as much as usual. Celebrity guests included French actress Melanie Laurent ("Inglourious Basterds"), model Natalia Vodianova, and Leagh Lezark, one-half of DJ duo the Misshapes. The brand's best shoppers didn't stay away, filing in toting their quilted, top-handle Lady Dior handbags.

In a demonstration of cunning stagecraft, Dior executive Sidney Toledano made a statement on the runway before the show, calling the events of the last week "an exceptional tragedy," and praising "les petits mains" in the atelier who pressed on to finish the collection.

The collection was inspired by "dandyism of the English romantic poets," according to show notes, which translated into velvet knickers and waistcoats, lace bloomers, short taffeta skirts, boxy tweed jackets, ruffled blouses and diaphanous Empire gowns. It was an average collection for the house. Nothing surprising.

After the last model stepped out, it would normally have been Galliano's big moment. More than any other designer, he relished his runway bow as an opportunity to dress up in an outlandish costume of his own, strike a pose, and strut all the way down the runway -- always with bodyguards at his side. (Most designers peek out from backstage and wave.)

Only this season, there wasn't a spotlight shining on an astronaut, swashbuckling pirate or Napoleon costume. Instead, "les petits mains" from Dior atelier's design team came out to a roaring standing ovation.

I learned a couple of interesting things while working on the the article for Wednesday's Los Angeles Times Calendar section about Christian Dior's recent decision to fire John Galliano.

First was that, under French law, making anti-Semitic remarks -- as Galliano allegedly did in a Paris bar on one or more occasions -- is not just offensive, it's actually illegal under the provisions of a law passed in 1990.

The second, and perhaps most interesting in a man-behind-the-curtain way for the people who follow the business side of the fashion world, is the corporate structure of Christian Dior -- which, to risk sounding like "The Price Is Right" -- is actually more like "Dior No. 1" and "Dior No. 2."

At the top of the organizational chart (yes, there is one -- which you can see here) is a French holding company called Christian Dior SA (the SA stands for "Société Anonyme" -- the French term used to designate a corporation), which in turn owns 100% of Dior No. 2 -- Christian Dior Couture.

It's this entity that makes, sells and (in the case of some categories like fragrances) licenses Christian Dior branded goods. It was also the direct employer of Galliano -- and it was Christian Dior Couture's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sidney Toledano who issued the March 1 statement  condemning Galliano's purported actions.

But Christian Dior SA (a.k.a. Dior No. 1) also has a 42.4% stake in LVMH -- the French luxury conglomerate that owns the Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy and Emilio Pucci brands, among others.

To make things only slightly more confusing is the fact that nearly 70% of Christian Dior SA's stock is owned by yet another entity -- Groupe Arnault -- the investment vehicle for French businessman Bernard Arnault. (Did we mention he also owns additional shares of LVMH?)

So now you know.

 -- Adam Tschorn

Photo Gallery: A look back at some of the Christian Dior collections under John Galliano

Photo: Bernard Arnault at a Feb. 4 press conference presenting the LVMH group's 2010 results. In addition to serving as chairman and CEO of that company, (and owning more than 40% of its stock), he is the majority owner and chairman of the Christian Dior brand's parent company. Credit: Gonzalo Fuentes / Reuters.
 
 

-- Dior announced Tuesday it is taking steps to fire chief designer John Galliano after video surfaced of him making anti-Semitic comments -- this on the heels of his suspension after an altercation in a bar Thursday in which he is alleged to have hurled racist insults (both anti-Semitic and anti-Asian) at a couple. In a statement, Dior called Galliano's behavior "odious." Sidney Toledano, Dior's chief executive, said, "I condemn with the greatest firmness the comments made by John Galliano, in total contradiction with the essential values which have always been defended by Christian Dior." [Wall Street Journal]

-- Even before Dior's announcement, Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman, the celebrity face of Miss Dior Cherie fragrance, had issued a statement disassociating herself from Galliano. "I am deeply shocked and disgusted by the video," Portman said. "In light of this video, and as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr. Galliano in any way." Galliano, 50, met with police Monday as they investigated the incidents, which could lead to criminal prosecution. Previously he denied the allegations stemming from the altercation Thursday, but then the video came to light in which he tells a different group of people they "should have been gassed" and says he "loves Hitler."  [People] 

-- Police say the criminal investigation will continue at least through this week, and there are some Galliano supporters awaiting the outcome before they condemn him. Vogue Italia's Franca Sozzani, for one, blogged that the video could be a set up. [The Cut] Seems kind of unlikely to me.

-- Being an Oscar host can be lucrative in more ways than one. Sources say Tiffany paid Anne Hathaway $750,000 to wear Tiffany jewels onstage Sunday night. [Us]

-- After Sunday's Oscars, stars hit the party circuit, and among the best dressed at Vanity Fair's soiree were Lea Michele, Jessica Biel, Rosario Dawson and Kate Beckinsale. [FabSugar] 

-- Missoni has announced two fun spring footwear collaborations, with Havaianas, combining the colors of the Italian and Brazilian flags in flip-flops, and with sneaker-maker Converse. This is Missoni's third limited-edition collection with Converse, and this time it will combine near-microscopic space-dyed knits on men's and women's Chuck Taylor All Star high-tops. [Hintmag]

-- Steve Madden footwear is going to India, under an exclusive licensing deal with Reliance Brands Ltd. [WWD] (subscription required)

-- And Gap is plotting its expansion into the important and growing Asian market, as well. [WWD] (subscription required)

-- Susan Denley

Photo: Designer John Galliano strikes a pose after a show in 2009. Credit: Julien M. Hekimian / Getty Images 

As the Oscars were being announced Tuesday morning, we waited breathlessly for our favorite category: best costume design. After all, how could Jeff Bridges have pulled off the Rooster Cogburn character without the right clothes, much less Colin Firth have made a convincing King George VI without the royal look? Sure enough, both "True Grit" (Mary Zophres) and "The King's Speech" (Jenny Beavan) were among the nominees. The others were “Alice in Wonderland” (Colleen Atwood), "I Am Love" (Antonella Cannarozzi) and "The Tempest" (Sandy Powell). But there was no Oscar costume design love for "Black Swan," which had received a lot of pre-Oscar attention because some of the costumes were by L.A.-based designers Laura and Kate Mulleavy of Rodarte. [LAT]

Five American designers trumped their French counterparts in a legendary showdown at the Palace of Versailles in 1973, and the Americans are still celebrating. The competition's two surviving U.S. designers, Steven Burrows and Oscar de la Renta, hosted a luncheon Monday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to toast the models who helped them to victory. "It wasn't the designers; it was the girls in this room," said Donna Karan (who worked the original event as a dresser for Anne Klein) of the eight original models who attended: Billie Blair, Alva Chinn, Pat Cleveland, Norma Jean Darden, Charlene Dash, Bethann Hardison, China Machado and Amina Warsuma. [WWD]

Designers' spring couture shows are underway in Paris [TheCut], and Chanel's biggest fans turned out in force for Karl Lagerfeld's couture show. Current and former brand ambassadors Inès de la Fressange, Diane Kruger, Vanessa Paradis, Anna Mouglalis, Baptiste Giabiconi and Gaspard Ulliel joined celebrity guests including Jerry Hall, Pedro Almodovar, Kirsten Dunst, Alexa Chung, Karen Elson and Janelle Monae. [WWD]

Meanwhile, John Galliano was in fine feather with his mesmerizing Christian Dior show, where the word "clothes" may have been too mundane to apply to what walked down the runway. [WWD] (Subscription required.) 

Vivienne Westwood is getting ready to open on Melrose in Los Angeles. [Mondette]

And New York-based hairstylist Sally Hershberger is planning a Feb. 1 opening for her new salon in the SLS Hotel's Ciel Spa in West Hollywood. She's also expanding her existing salon here. [Mondette]

Seattle-based Butter London is issuing a nail polish in honor of Kate Middleton. The name of the gray-blue shade? "No More Waity, Katie," a reference to the princess-to-be's cheeky pre-engagement nickname in British tabloids. [StyleList]

-- Susan Denley

Photo: Colin Firth as King George VI and Helena Bonham Carter as his wife in "The King's Speech." Credit: Laurie Sparham / The Weinstein Company

Designer vintage apparel doesn't come cheap -- and it typically appreciates with age. Which is why January is a great month to pore over the racks of pristine Chanel, Vivienne Westwood and Versace at The Way We Wore, one of L.A.'s most lauded vintage fashion boutiques.

Every new year marks the start of the shop's big winter sale, featuring collectible clothes, shoes and accessories discounted 50%.

This year's sale -- which starts Jan. 2 and runs through the end of the month -- features the usual covetable designer fare, including retro Yves Saint Laurent outerwear, a two-piece black velveteen ensemble from Sant’Angelo and shapely '80s suits from Thierry Mugler.

But this year, owner Doris Raymond is also discounting, for the very first time, her collection of rare vintage designer sunglasses. Dating from the late 1970s to the late 1980s, the cache of cool sunnies includes classic bamboo frames from Guy Laroche and glamorously over-sized Christian Dior looks.

Also included in the sale -- which will take place on the bottom floor of the boutique, with new merchandise filtered in daily -- is an exceptional collection of vintage lingerie Raymond recently scored from an avid collector.

"There are really some of the most beautiful silk lingerie ensembles I've ever seen," Raymond said, citing tap pants, bras, teddies and abbreviated robes as some of the looks making up the lingerie sets.

Brands include early Victoria's Secret, "before they went mainstream and lowered the quality of materials they use," Christian Dior and Fernando Sánchez, a Spanish designer known for his provocative lingerie.

But perhaps most noteworthy is a sizable collection of Emilio Pucci-printed underthings the Italian designer created for Chicago's Formfit Rogers Mills, where Pucci signed on as vice president in charge of design and merchandising in 1959.

Raymond noted that sizes for the lingerie -- which she'll be selling for between $20 and $250 (for top-drawer ensembles) -- range roughly from a size 2 to “maybe a size 8 or 10 ... and there's nothing for very large-breasted.”

Special collections aside, the vintage dealer said she's keen to unload most of her winter-season inventory, explaining, "A big part of this sale is about feeding my addiction to shopping -- if there’s no room in the store, I can't shop."

334 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles. (323) 937-0878. 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday; 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday; or by appointment. www.thewaywewore.com

Kate and Prince William just announced their wedding date will be April 29, but no word yet on who will  design the dress. But designers including Monique Lhuillier, Suzanne Neville and Ashley Isham have sketched their ideas of what a royal wedding gown for Kate Middleton could look like. [People] 

Dior threw a big party to celebrate its revamped jewelry boutique in Paris, and a plethora of French stars (Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert) attended, along with notables such as Marisa Berenson and Christian Louboutin. [WWD]

Reality star and business entrepreneur Kim Kardashian and her mom, Kris Jenner, are teaming to promote Skechers' Shape-Up shoes. It's a departure from her ususal high-style stilettos, but Kardashian says she is eager to get the exercise. [People]  

Skincare firm Coty Inc. has agreed to buy Philosophy. [WWD] (Subscription required.)

Speaking of Philosophy, star fan Oprah Winfrey is pictured in an adorable baby photo on limited editions of its Hope in a Jar face cream. Cute. [BellaSugar] 

Monday, we told you that shoppers lined up for as long as 13 hours to buy Lanvin's new H&M collection. Well, the same thing happened in Paris and Tokyo, with overnight queues awaiting store openings. [WWD] (Subscription required.)

Yigal Azrouel [updated 11:10 a.m.] has launched an online store to sell his ultra-chic ready-to-wear and accessories, along with the hip Cut 25 concept brand. [FabSugar]

-- Susan Denley

Correction: An earlier version of this post misspelled Yigal Azrouel's first name as  Zigal.

Photo: Kate Middleton and Prince William on Nov. 16, 2010, the day they announced their engagement. Credit: Ben Stansall / AFP/Getty Images

Sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s who. Actress Blake Lively, who plays Serena van der Woodsen on "Gossip Girl," has all but morphed into her small screen character. I’m not talking about scandalous love affairs or making frenemies, but as far as fashion sense goes, the two seem to be one and the same.

Lively and “S” can stop traffic, look good in anything and tend to cause a paparazzi frenzy doing it. From plunging necklines and miniskirts to couture silk gowns, preppy blazers and oxfords and too many flirty party dresses to keep up with, they both perfectly balance slightly edgy statement pieces with ultra chic, upper Eastside class.    

When Lively attended the launch of the new Vertu Constellation Quest phone in N.Y.C, she pulled off a stylish balancing act. If this were a "Gossip Girl" episode someone might have showed up in the same dress or on the arm of Serena’s boy toy but in real life, Lively got plenty of drama-free attention in a distressed black leather jacket, Christian Dior ruffled mini dress, black tights and black booties.  

I can think of about a hundred appropriate, flattering adjectives to describe Lively’s look, but the only way to relate this outfit to a true "Gossip Girl" fan is this: Lively’s outfit is OMG, "Gossip Girl" blast worthy, I-think-she-looks-amazing-but-I’m-super-jealous-I’m-not- wearing-it cute. Sure, it’s a little neurotic sounding, but so true.

To get Lively's look you'll need a frilly dress in any bright, eye-catching color. Our frugal pick will create a "Gossip Girl" worthy look of your own. Turn some heads in this bright fuchsia colored ruffled dress from Urban Outfitters by Silence & Noise for $58.

Channel your wild side and get a little rebellious in a moto-style jacket from Forever 21. You can go with a distressed faux leather to copy Lively's look, or for a more relaxed, cleaner look, Forever 21 also has a smooth faux leather jacket. Both styles are $32.80.

The grand total before taxes is $90.80. In our frugal alternatives you can look and feel like an upper Eastside girl at across the bridge, Humphrey-esque, Brooklyn prices.

Craving more OMG "Gossip Girl" fashion? Look out for Melissa Magsaysay’s story on the "Gossip Girl" fashion phenomenon in this Sunday’s Image section.

Happy shopping.

Have an outfit you're dying to buy, but need a frugal alternative? E-mail us a picture. We're up for the challenge.

-- Jenn Harris

jenn.harris@latimes.com

Photo top: Actress Blake Lively attends the launch of Vertu's smartphone at Berry Hill Galleries in New York City. Credit: Marc Stamas/Getty Images.

Photo right: Silence & Noise dress from Urban Outfitters. Credit: Urban Outfitters.

Photo left: Two faux leather jackets from Forever 21. Credit: Forever 21.

Christian Dior lovers now have a new reason to adore Dior.

The Christian Dior store at South Coast Plaza celebrated its grand reopening Wednesday night complete with flowing Champagne, models in the designer’s latest dresses and an appearance by actress Eva Mendes, who’s been photographed on several occasions with a camel colored Dior Libertine Hobo bag slung over her shoulder.

The store location may be the same, cater-cornered from Hermes in the Costa Mesa uber-mall, but the interior has undergone a complete facelift. The space was gutted and then remodeled for three months to create separate salons for ready-to-wear shoes, fine jewelry and watches.

Three million dollars worth of jewelry was brought into the store for the opening. The new jewelry salon features men’s and women’s watches, and an array of costume jewelry such as chunky gold necklaces and bracelets as well as fine, dainty earrings and rings.

The Dior baby section was moved out to make room for a shoe salon that doubled the store’s previous selection of patent leather pumps and peep-toe heels.

The space is extremely well-lighted and practically sparkles as the lights glisten off the large silver Ds that adorn the handbags. Some of the once stark, white walls are now a dark shade of gray, and the shiny white floors give way to subtle gray carpet in the clothing salons at the rear of the store.

It was easy to notice the small, elegant details. Each shelf of sunglasses and plush leather bags is lined with gray, raw silk, and ornate carvings create a unique molding along the ceiling. 

The store’s appearance and atmosphere were modeled after the original House of Dior on Avenue Montaigne in Paris, which opened in 1946. Customers at the South Coast Plaza location are greeted at the door with a polite “Welcome to the house of Dior,” or “Bonjour madame, welcome to the universe of Dior.”  There is no confusing the two locations, but the Orange County version of the original is still pretty glamorous.

-- Jenn Harris

Top photo: Guests mingle at the store opening. Credit: Jenn Harris.

Middle photo: A selection of jewelry from the store's new collection. Credit: Jenn Harris.

Bottom photo: A patent leather pink peep-toe heel from the new shoe salon. Credit: Jenn Harris

Jenna Lyons, above, executive creative director at J. Crew, has been named president as well. [WWD] (Subscription required)

Celebrities keep turning up in dresses from Victoria Beckham's 2010 spring/summer collection. [Telegraph]

The Tobe Report, a trend forecasting firm, is back among the trendy, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Another model has a few things to say about her image ... and being sidelined for being a size ... four! [Huffington Post] ... And Jean Paul Gaultier has cast plus-size model Crystal Renn as the face of a new advertising campaign. [Vogue UK]

Adidas has selected Stella McCartney to be creative director for the uniforms that British athletes will wear at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. [Vogue UK]

Stylelist reports that Penelope Cruz has wed Javier Bardem in a dress by Christian Dior designer John Galliano.

And, finally, guess who looks good in sailor pants? January Jones, that's who! Of course, she'd look good in anything. [Fab Sugar]

-- Alice Short

Photo credit: Perry Hagopian

John Galliano debuts a couture collection for Dior. [Telegraph]

Can't get enough of Bruce Willis? Anticipating next month's release of "The Expendables"? To tide you over, get a whiff of Willis' new fragrance line. [WWD, subscription required]

Serena Williams stars in a photo spread in the August issue of Harper's Bazaar. [StyleList]

The blogosphere continues to muse on model Crystal Renn: Is she losing weight ... or what? [New York Magazine/The Cut]

Do these bridesmaids make me look fat? ... One-third of (engaged) British women who were surveyed said they would ask an overweight friend to be a bridesmaid to make them look better. [Telegraph]

And if you cannot read enough about the stars of "Jersey Shore," we'd like to point out that Jennifer "J. Woww" Farley debuted a line of clothing in Las Vegas over the holiday. Its name? Filthy Couture. [People StyleWatch]

If you, like many of us, look at your hair in the morning and wonder if it is suffering the effects of too much coloring, processing, blow-drying, etc., one beauty editor has a suggestion: Home hair glaze. [Allure]

-- Alice Short

Photo: A model presents a creation by British fashion designer John Galliano as part of the Christian Dior Fall-Winter 2010-2011 Haute Couture collection in Paris. Credit: Associated Press