THREAD GALLERY Jackets

A John Galliano spencer jacket and oversized shirt pair, fall-winter 1985 'The Ludic Games'. These incredibly rare and early garments, worn together, are from Galliano's first runway show—his third collection. The collection inspired by Angela Carter’s 1984 novel, Nights at the Circus, juxtaposed London’s East End costermongers with rebellious farmers from the English countryside. The spencer jacket is cut bust-length and wide over the shoulders, designed by Galliano to be worn inside out and upside down. Made from navy jumbo needlecord it features Galliano’s signature broad, irregularly-notched lapels and elongated sleeves—a staple in his designs from this era. The definitive feature of this jacket however, are the two hanging wine corks wrapped in twine, used as a decorative fastener. On the backside, a striped flannelette fabric is used, symbolising the image of a country mother taking her children to school whilst still in her pyjamas. The oversized shirt was a main feature of this collection, worn on its own as well as underneath the spencer jackets. This particular shirt is made of flannelette in two tones, light blue and beige. It features an asymmetrical design with the placket turning diagonally three buttons down at the waist. Seams at the backside of the garment also follow this direction creating a triangular pointed pocket on the left hip. This technique was reused in skirts for Galliano’s first collection at Christian Dior in 1997. Both garments feature the iconic Galliano '1' label only found in garments from this period. Due to their rarity, pieces featuring this label are often only found in museum collections. Jackets of this style feature in the following: John Galliano, The Ludic Game, catwalk invitation, 1985 The Face, June, London, 1985, p.3 Kerry Taylor...

A John Galliano pinstripe vest, spring-summer 1986 'Fallen Angels'. This incredibly rare and early garment is from Galliano's second runway show—his fourth collection. Featuring a rounded collar and mini lapel, the standout feature of this vest is the trio of swirling 'Fimo' plasticene buttons crafted by artist Dave Baby. Reflecting Galliano's student work experience with Savile Row tailor Tommy Nutter...

This Vivienne Westwood gold-painted denim jacket is from the Spring-Summer 1993 ‘Grand Hotel’ collection. Made from cotton denim, this jacket features a metallic gold coating that gi...

This John Galliano single-breasted loose jacket from Fall-Winter 1987 ‘The Rose Collection’ is an important example of the designers craftsmanship and design. Made from black wool ...

A Thierry Mugler Monogrammed Denim Jacket, circa 1998. This garment is one of very few pieces that feature the Thierry Mugler monogram. Additional to the monogram, another iconic des...