getting dressed: will the real galliano successor please stand up?

I recently watched Sex and the City S6E18 - The Cold War (again). My favorite scene: Carrie and Aleksandr Petrovsky are sharing an intimate moment at the star table at Pastis when they are unexpectedly interrupted by three of his friends. They begin discussing his upcoming, long-awaited exhibition in Paris and the editor of Art Life magazine turns to Petrovsky and says:

The world is waiting with breath that is bated.

This quote epitomizes the current sentiment of the fashion world as everyone waits on the edge of their seats for Bernard Arnault to announce John Galliano's successor as creative director at Dior. Galliano is a fashion icon, admired and revered for his fearless, whimsical haute couture designs. During his 15-year tenure at Dior, he gave the label a much-needed makeover and delivered RTW and Couture collections perfect for the outrageously playful, chic, and sexy Lady Dior. Galliano was fired on March 1 as a result of his recent anti-semitic drunken tirade at a Parisian bar which was caught on video. Since then, rumors on who will take over arguably the most coveted role in fashion have been running rampant.

On March 8, Derek Blasberg, blogger for Harper's Bazaar, tweeted, "I was just told backstage at the @KatyPerry concert (of all places!) that Riccardo Tisci is CONFIRMED at Dior" and sent the entire fashion-verse into a frenzy. Tisci is currently creative director at Givenchy, a fellow LVMH brand, and it makes sense that Arnault would consider an in-house replacement. There has been speculation that Haider Ackermann may be in the running as well, but Cathy Horyn, fashion critic for the NYTimes, dismissed this rumor by describing Ackermann as "another unprepared designer." Suzy Menkes, fashion editor at the Tribune, did a little investigating at Louis Vuitton show on March 9 and concluded that the fate of Dior is still uncertain. Marc Jacobs hasn't been asked about the position yet and Bernard Arnault responded that LVMH is still thinking.

Yesterday, one of my favorite fashion partners-in-crime and I were in deep in discussion on the topic. We both agreed that Tisci would not be suitable for Dior due to his darker, ominous aesthetic, so we threw out some other potential names: Alber Elbaz... Zac Posen... and then it dawned upon us: Jason Wu. Known as the creative mind behind Michelle Obama's inaugural ball gown, Wu is an up-and-coming designer whose RTW collections feature a feminine, tailored aesthetic with pops of bright colors and prints that are both playful and wearable. Currently, his namesake label lacks the drama and theatrics that Galliano brought to Dior for the past 15 years, but given the sudden nature of Galliano's exit, perhaps it is time for another makeover. We both believe that Wu is fully capable of creating more demure collections for Dior that will match perfectly with the fashion house's famed Lady Dior it-bag. Not to mention this gig will do wonders for Wu's already budding career and establish him as a household name.

Join Team Wu for Galliano's successor. I should have t-shirts made.

Dior by Galliano: