John Galliano, Those Bad Words
Fashion's bad boy, dubbed so for his boundary-pushing, rule-breaking designs, committed a truly offensive crime in late February, when he hurled anti-Semitic slurs at a couple in Paris. Dior quickly fired John Galliano from his role as creative director, and Natalie Portman — who had recently signed on to become the spokeswoman of Miss Dior Cherie perfume — disassociated herself from the designer completely. Portman was widely expected to wear Dior to the 2011 Academy Awards but instead chose a dress by Rodarte, the same designers who created her costumes for Black Swan. In September, a French court found the designer guilty for his remarks and fined him €6,000 (over $8,000). Galliano's career, however, took a much bigger hit. Dior is still searching for his replacement.