Haider Ackermann hints at a move
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
During Paris’ wild and wacky fashion week in March, when John Galliano was dismissed from Dior, and a reshuffling of the designer decks seemed imminent, one name that kept coming up was Haider Ackermann.
The Colombian-born, Belgian-educated designer’s fall runway collection was superb -- a riveting piece of theater set to Leonard Cohen’s poem ‘A Thousand Kisses,’ with painterly colors and sensually draped silks that seemed almost to drip off the body. After seeing it, the fashion world seemed convinced that he would be a natural choice to lead Dior, Givenchy, or any other major fashion house for that matter.
No announcement has come yet, but Ackermann, who is visiting Los Angeles for the first time this week for a special event with Saks Fifth Avenue, hinted that he is ready for a new challenge. ‘It would excite me,’ he said over green tea in the garden at the Chateau Marmont. ‘Sometimes you’re drawing a collection, and something doesn’t fit. I have more things to say and another house might help me with this.’
We shared a glance at a long table of proper-looking ladies Champagne brunching under the porch, with their elegant handbags close at hand.
‘I might dream of a woman more elegant and pure,’ Ackermann said. ‘Like those women over there?’ I asked. He laughed. ‘Different, but yes.’
Haider Ackermann special appearance and fall trunk show, Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. at Saks Fifth Avenue, 9600 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills.
-- Booth Moore
Photos, from top: Haider Ackermann poses during a party for the launch of Karl Lagerfeld’s limited edition Diet Coke bottles in Paris on April 7. Credit: Francois Mori/Associated Press.
A look from the Haider Ackermann’s Ready to Wear autumn/winter 2011/2012 show during Paris Fashion Week. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson and Peter Stigter / For The Times.
