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Arnault hired Galliano not for his wit or precocity but to make money for the house. And the profits in this enterprise come not from the glories of couture (despite price tags that average $25,000) but from the practicalities of pret-a-porter. In that sense, it looks as if Arnault clearly backed a winner. A glance at Galliano's first ready-to-wear, to be shown in March, is an eye-opener. Vanished are the grand effects and jokes. The line is simple, spunky, very young and very wearable. Only his names for the outfits are facetious: "Audrey in her boyfriend's clothes" and "Audrey in Disneyland."
But Galliano did not come to Givenchy to conquer the world of ready-to-wear. He already has a thriving business in that area under his own label. His purpose was to enter the world of dreams. Two days after the show, exhausted by media queries and the effusions of buyers, he left work early. Too bad, because late that afternoon a dream came walking into the atelier. Stephanie Bismuth is just 20, a tall, tanned woman with huge brown eyes and long, lustrous, dark red hair. This young Parisienne will be married in May, and she knows what she wants to wear: a sumptuous, bouffant Galliano gown with a border of floral embroidery that is lyrical enchantment. Bismuth came in wearing pants and a jacket and chewing gum--a typical '90s kid. When she put on the gown, she became a young woman with elegance, grace and just a hint of command, the transformation precisely what couture is all about. As for Galliano, her reason for choosing him shows the wisdom behind Bernard Arnault's choice: "I wanted something really young, and Galliano is so youthful."