In what is clearly the most insurmountable public relations snafu on Earth, well, fashion Earth anyway, Christian Dior was challenged to stay the course and host their fashion show today in Paris in spite of the debacle that is John Galliano.
Those who took the final bow instead of John Galliano in full diva drag was the staff from the Dior atelier. This is the most fantastic, emotional, democratic, loving way to handle such an awkward moment and to thank those who attended the show. Yesterday The Huffington Post asked its zillions of fabulous readers whether or not the Dior and John Galliano shows should be boycotted. My answer? No.
This from a concentration camp survivor's son, who was absolutely appalled by the quote by Galliano, "I Love Hitler," which would make a fierce T-shirt... kidding! Anyway, each season, I would wait with bated breath to see the images from the Christian Dior show. I was an avid Galliano fan. Does his recent Charlie Sheen moment make me despise him? Maybe his inner demons. But not his craft.
One has to excuse those who are at the depth of despair, crippled by their addictions. Believe me, I know this all to well. The one life lesson that has helped me throughout many dark hours is "forgiveness is the key." Am I ready to forgive him? Well, let's just first get him off to rehab, watch him eat a few slices of humble pie and finally, lose those quirky hats.