At first glance, a casual follower of Paris Fashion Week might be forgiven for seeing the collection for John Galliano as a nod to eighties female executive wear. But if you look closer you can see who he has really used as his muse for the collection: Lauren Bacall. It even had a winking tribute to her other half, Humphrey Bogart, in the form of lovely belted trench coats. The collection was simply of feminine, beautiful clothing for women who are tired of “club crawling” clothing.

The trench, this time in gray lamé, went perfectly with the models’ forties-inspired wavy, controlled hairstyles and red lipstick. There were also lovely evening dresses with waists, hips, and embroidery, for unmatched femininity. The effect was heightened by the industrial look of the steel girders in his show’s set. The trench was shown in many versions: coat and jacket length. Suits avoided a matchy-matchy look by using unmatched pairings that had a fresher, younger look than the traditional matched suit.

Image credit: wwd.com