A Theatrical Wonder ... John Galliano Menswear F/W 2008

To see a John Galliano fashion show without his quirky antics and ideas on stage is like eating a bowl of plain rice gruel without delicious condiments to whet our appetites up.

Ever since he took the rein of Dior 10 years ago, the Gibraltar-born British designer of St. Martins Central alum has never fail to entice fashion critics and fans alike with his theatrical take on presenting his idea of how fashion should be interpreted on the runway.

Be it Dior or his self-named label, one can expect high expectation from every discerning fashionistas, wondering what would be in store season after season.

At the menswear leg of Paris Fashion Week held four months ago, it was rather special because Galliano had it staged at the Musee de L'Homme or Men's Museum in the 16th Arrondisement.

For fall/winter 2008, Galliano turned the good old Tudor days of England when the Thames freezes in the winter and people from all walks of life would have a party on the frozen and hard surface of the river.

The first segment of the show saw male models dressed as Tudor princes in apparels that were inspired by the King Henry VIII with velvety berets, button-front peasant shirt, trousers tied at the ankle, and coat with furry lapel and sash in gray with extended ribbed cuff. Leather jackets were detailed with grayish shearing while a knitted jacket sports rolled neck with zip-front.

The drama moved on to the modern days of Sixties with tailored blazers and slim fit pants a la Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones.

Sporting grungy look on the face, akin of the undead (zombies), Galliano boasted his patriotic spirit with full pride by including prints of the emblematic Union Jack on some of the tee shirts such as one with long sleeves and v-neck, sporting the illustration of a silkscreened jester paired with slouchy plaid loose pants in black and white. Oh, not to mention too, an eerily bruised face!

King Henry-inspired look returned for another round on the catwalk with pieces luxuriously adorned in fur and fine embroidery work on the wide cuffs.

Now, black is dominating the line with a dash of shine as seen on a black straight collared shirt with fitted sleeves, a sprinkle of combat looks (loose cargo pants with combat boots paired with waistcoat and tuxedo with oversized lapels), and voluminous patent leather jacket with fur-trimmed hoodies.

Later, Galliano took his audience for an imaginary trip to the Tower of London with his models once again appeared in appalling conditions. Flaunting lifelike bleeding Greek God physiques, thanks to the smart application of SFX makeup by Galliano's makeup team, models paraded underwears, leather bikers' jackets, and dusted jeans (black not traditional blue) with either bruised faces or covered with executioner's masks.

Finally, the show came to an end and court jesters (again, the models) crashed into the show and paraded eccentric pieces in traditional jester colors of black, yellow, and red, a couple of black printed hooded sweatshirts.

There was also a tee shirt with silkscreened illustration of the clown, which eerily resemble the deadly clown in Stephen King's "It" novel that lurks under the drains and kills children, ensued by Galliano's appearance at the end of the show in ... let's just say normal wardrobe.

John Galliano's Fall/Winter 2008-09 ready-to-wear collection will be available at John Galliano stores and selected retailers worldwide while the spring/summer 2008 is in stores now.

*Photos by Marcio Madeira for men.style.com

John Galliano at Saks Fifth Avenue - 661, Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10020.