Bill Gaytten Wants Dior Job
Speculation on who will fill John Galliano’s shoes at Dior has generally been focused on fashion’s heavy hitters like Riccardo Tisci, Alber Elbaz, Marc Jacobs, and Azzedine Alaïa—until now.
In a move that would echo Sarah Burton’s appointment at Alexander McQueen, Galliano’s right-hand man Bill Gaytten is reportedly angling for the creative director title at the fashion house.
When asked by New York Times scribe Cathy Horyn if he wanted the job, his response was very to the point: “Yeah, I do. I’m not a fool.”
Gaytten shared the finale bow at the Christian Dior Haute Couture show on July 4 in Paris with Susanna Venegas, a first assistant at the brand.
He worked with John Galliano for over 20 years and took the final bow at the ousted designer’s eponymous menswear show in Paris last week. (And while Gaytten hasn’t officially been named creative director of the label, Galliano (and Dior) CEO Sidney Toledano confirmed that he is currently leading the design team at the brand.)
Of course, stepping into Galliano’s role might not be so easy. Horyn panned the Dior couture show, calling the collection a “hodgepodge” and speculating that Gaytten didn’t provide “much guidance.”
“I like Mr. Gaytten,” she wrote. “He’s a sweetheart, but he is not a designer.”
As always, watch this space …
CHECK OUT THE CHRISTIAN DIOR FALL 2011 HAUTE COUTURE COLLECTION.
