GHOUL’S NIGHT OUT

How John Galliano’s Fall 2009 finale gowns were accessorized with the most gloriously decrepit flower crowns, very much reminiscent of those worn by two little girls discovered buried in the necropolis of Patras, Greece sometime during the Hellenistic period… Longtime collaborative milliner Stephen Jones crowned the models, who floated down the runway like ghosts, sparkling in their floral accoutrements and whispering tulle as if they’d risen from a metallic grave…

“In this exquisite and opulent Russian-Balkan fantasy, it seemed that an archive of national costume had come to life, and indeed the Benaki Museum in Athens was one source for the designer’s exploration of folk dress… The collection was characterized by its rich detail, with each piece handmade in Galliano’s Paris atelier - a level of artisanal investment normally reserved for the haute couture collections.” wrote Claire Wilcox in Robert Fairer’s book ‘John Galliano Unseen.’ Though Galliano’s research for his folklore fairytale may have transpired at the Benaki in Athens, the unearthed ceramic floral tiaras still sitting atop the little girls’ skulls, reside in another part of Greece at the Archaeological Museum of Patras.

Discovered in the North Cemetery in Patras, the skulls bear wreaths of fruits and myrtle flowers. Dating to the late 4th Century B.C., the colorful earthen flower crowns, made especially for burial, are held in place by bronze wires, gilded in some areas and covered with enamel in others. Whether constructed of painted clay flowers or carved leaves of gold, it is quite evident, that from the runways to the graveyards, a romantic floral headdress will never go out of style… • All Collages by Moi