Yesterday, at the show for his namesake line in Paris, John Galliano stepped out with white hair that curled at the sides in a fashion popularized by George Washington in the late 1700s. Whereas George powdered his hair, Galliano’s looks to have been painted white or covered in Wite-Out. Always looking forward and taking risks, that Galliano — no wonder critics love him! It’s the same style he showed in his fall 2009 menswear show, except while those models appeared to be wearing wigs, we have a sneaking suspicion this is Galliano’s real hair. Before the New Year he tended to wear it down, cascading over his shoulder in silky blond ribbons. So what brought on his new penchant for updos? In the winter? If Michelle Obama’s bare arms symbolize America’s can-do spirit, John Galliano’s hair symbolizes his industry’s ability to defy the global economic crisis like Washington defied the trends of his time by wearing his real hair instead of a wig. Or maybe he is sick of us all obsessing over MObama and is trying to call attention to this nation’s original Capitol Hill fashion innovator.
