Just when the publication of a massive tome of his backstage photos suggested Hedi Slimane s love affair with rock couldn t get any more intense, he kicked it into another gear with his new Christian Dior collection. Grunge references came thick and fast, in army-surplus jackets, sleeveless plaid shirts with raw hems, beat-up sneakers, and hip-slung jeans lean enough to make even Joey Ramone feel fat. Slimane s new model army of floppy-haired Bobby Gillespie look-alikes could have been rounded up in the local mosh pit. It all implied Bowie s Berlin might have been supplanted in the designer s affections by Cobain s Seattle. But there was a running subtext of dressy touches that showed Slimane s flair for modern dandyism hasn t wilted: a pleated shirt front here, a bow tie hanging loose there, a pale-aqua evening jacket, another jacket that looked flawless in pink leather. It all came out to a pulsing, moody soundtrack custom made for Slimane by a kindred alt-rock dandy—Beck.
