Galliano Heads To Rehab While His Friends Play Dumb

Fashion insiders are expressing their shock at John Galliano‘s racist behavior. Despite an alleged three recent incidents in which the now ex-Dior designer hurled racist and anti-Semitic abuse at strangers, including one that was memorably filmed, all of which came to light without much digging and within 72 hours of his arrest last Thursday in Paris…you see, nobody knew there was this side to him. “I was so shocked when I heard the news that I didn’t actually believe it until I watched that video online. Initially, I couldn’t believe it because — and so many fashion people have said this — what he did is so contrary to everything we know about him,” says one anonymous London fashion insider. A stylist offers, “I think everyone’s known [Galliano’s] been crazy forever, but to be honest, he’s not the only one in the industry.” Says a “veteran fashion writer,” “The fashion industry can really create monsters — people live in these bubbles where they are fawned over and celebrated. Nobody ever says no. They get exactly what they want . . . They are completely out of touch with reality because they don’t live in reality. I can see how [Galliano] has become this crazy, out-of-touch lunatic.” [NYPost]
Women’s Wear Daily‘s Bridget Foley, who has been going to Galliano‘s shows since 1994, claims, “Never in all those years of seasonal check-ins has Galliano presented himself other than as a quiet, gentle soul. At times he seemed uncomfortable with the monotony of walking editors through his collections; at other times, agreeable and energized, possibly substance-enhanced. One sensed a bit of wickedness, but playful, never hateful or mean.” [WWD]
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Paris police says that the inquiry into the two legal complaints made against Galliano is not yet finished, but said that she believes the legal process will be swift. Joan Burstein, the owner and founder of the London boutique Browns, who bought Galliano‘s entire graduate collection in 1984, says, “I am deeply saddened by the fact that John Galliano has been dismissed. I hope that I have the opportunity to see him face-to-face, as I have no comment to make until I am told the truth by him.” And though most industry insiders are saying Galliano‘s racist rantings are out of character, Pat Field would seek to excuse them on the grounds that Galliano was “acting out a character.” The stylist continues: “People in fashion don’t recognize the farce in it. All of a sudden they don’t know him. But it’s OK when it’s Mel Brooks’ The Producers singing ‘Springtime for Hitler.’” Karl Lagerfeld takes a different tack. “I’m furious, if you want to know.” Lagerfeld went on, “today, with the Internet, one has to be more careful than ever, especially if you are a publicly known person. You cannot go in the street and be drunk — there are things you cannot do. I’m furious with him because of the harm he did to LVMH and Bernard Arnault, who is a friend, and who supported him more than he supported any other designer in his group, because Dior is his favorite label. It’s as if he had his child hurt.” [WWD]
Yesterday, just hours after Dior announced it was firing Galliano, sources close to the designer confirmed to Suzy Menkes that he would be heading “immediately” to rehab. (There’s nothing rehab won’t fix, apparently.) And also that he had, to possibly fight his dismissal, retained the services of the same lawyer Kate Moss hired in the wake of her cocaine scandal, when several major brands temporarily dropped her as a face. [IHT]

• Lady Gaga confirmed via Twitter that she will be walking as a model in the Mugler show. Mugler, newly relaunched and lacking the “thierry” in front of its name, is creative-directed by Nicola Formichetti, who has styled Gaga on numerous occasions. [@ladygaga]
• Formichetti announced that the show will be livestreamed from Mugler’s Facebook page. Hope they’ve made arrangements to buy up the world’s available supply of bandwidth, or else there are going to be a lot of disappointed little Monsters come tomorrow. [WWD]
• Beyoncé Knowles, who sells perfume, says, “I feel like fragrance is one of the most important accessories a woman can have.” [Contact Music]
• Britney Spears‘ forthcoming V cover was briefly revealed on E!. [ONTD]
• A pregnant Eva Herzigova was photographed for British Harper’s Bazaar‘s April issue. Cover line: “Natural Goddess.” [Fashion Gone Rogue]
• Lauren Santo Domingo, the World’s Thinnest Pregnant Woman, would like you to know that she does not wash her own hair. She has a favorite shampoo, but it’s “not like I wash my own hair, I can’t even remember the last time I washed my own hair,” says the Vogue editor. See, with matters of this importance, she trusts the professionals. “I’ve probably blown dry my own hair three or four times…I’m just bad at it and I don’t feel like learning, when there are such good hair stylists in New York.” Also: “My lipstick changes depending on who I’m meeting with and what time of day it is.” She typically wears five or six different shades of lipstick every day. [Into The Gloss]
• Prabal Gurung filmed one of those “Characters Approved” spots for the USA network. In it, he discusses being bullied growing up in Nepal, an influential teacher who told him he was talented, and should keep sketching, and how proud he is to be a Nepali designer who shows in New York and produces some of his clothing in his native country. [YouTube]
• Um, Christina Hendricks should wear Vivienne Westwood always. [Grazia]
• Chanel Iman was apparently overheard at a Victoria’s Secret event talking about how much she wants to cut her long hair into a bob. [P6]
• Jay Manuel, of ANTM fame, is launching a clothing line. [Coco Perez]
• Kelly Cutrone is getting in on the clothing line action. Her new line, co-launched with Robyn Berkley and Chris Burch, is called the Electric Love Army. No word on prices or stockists — though they are planning to open their own stores — but Cutrone says they have a specific customer in mind. “You know that scene in Fast Times at Ridgemont High where Phoebe Cates climbs out of the swimming pool and pops her bikini ? That’s our girl.” [WWD]
• Wedding dresses are now available at Costco. They’re not even terribly cheap: $700-$1,400. [NYPost]
• After months of highly public wrangling, a shareholder lawsuit and counter-suit, allegations of favoritism in the bidding process, the revelation that C.E.O. Micky Drexler was in talks about a deal with an investment bank before he bothered to tell his board, and many, many discussions of whether the offered price, $43.50/share, was too low, J. Crew won the right to go private in a $3 billion leveraged buy-out, with that very investment bank. Shareholders voted 2-1 to approve the sale more or less as originally proposed. [WSJ]
• Because cotton prices are surging, and have been for a while, cotton growers are planting more crops this season. So, in 6-9 months, maybe prices will fall! In the meantime, polyester jeans for everyone. [WWD]
• For the Oscars, Joan Collins wore a dress so tight that she felt faint, and had to be rushed to hospital. [Express]
• Carolyn Brasch Nielsen was New York fashion week’s top model. She walked in 22 shows. In fact, all five of the models who booked the most New York shows this season are white, which is very much in keeping with this season’s dismal racial diversity stats. [WWD]
• Garance Doré‘s instructions for getting shot by a street-style photographer include wear something colorful, alternatively, wear all black, and: “Wear something wtf. Wear a shoe as a hat, make a skirt from your shower curtain, steal some construction worker’s uniform to go with your Jil Sander plastic bag.” And also, have a phone. We can vouch for that phone thing. It totally works. [Garance Doré]