The Dior show goes on

Friday's highly anticipated Christian Dior fashion show went off without a hitch in Paris, without designer John Galliano, who was fired by the company for complaints alleging he used anti-Semitic and racist insults on several occasions.

In place of the designer's traditional finale bow, Women's Wear Daily reported, white-robed seamstresses and craftsmen emerged applauding at the end of the presentation. Robin Givhan, special style and culture correspondent for Newsweek Daily Beast, who attended the show, said it received a "standing ovation," from the audience of 1,200, adding that the scene within the large tent in the gardens of the Rodin Museum was, "calm. There were no battering rams of TV crews racing after celebrities. The show was straightforward with no elaborate makeup."

Dior chief executive Sidney Toledano opened the show with what Givhan said was, "essentially an apology and a show of support to the atelier." In his speech, which was later distributed to news outlets, Toledano reaffirmed the values of Dior, and while not naming Galliano, described recent events. He said, in French, "It has been deeply painful to see the Dior name associated with the disgraceful statements attributed to its designer, however brilliant he may be."

Galliano, 50, will be tried in French criminal court this spring for making public insults, authorities said. In one case, an amateur video showed an apparently inebriated Galliano spewing anti-Semitic statements, including "I love Hitler."

Galliano has issued an apology, and WWD reported that he denies the claims of the three people who have filed complaints against him and has begun defamation proceedings.

As for Galliano's eponymous collection slated to show on Sunday, news reports suggested that the designer's traditional runway extravaganza has been sharply downgraded in favor of a simpler presentation for buyers and journalists at a hotel. According to reports, Galliano, will not be present.