John Galliano, who was arrested in 2011 and later fired from Dior after going on an anti-Semitic rant, stepped out yesterday apparently dressed as a Hasidic Jew. He was wearing a long jacket, tall hat, and curly sidelocks, reports the New York Post, which has pictures. Not surprisingly, the world was not amused, considering this is the man who was caught on video talking about his love for Hitler. A few typical headlines:
Galliano has been working for Oscar de la Renta recently, in his first return to fashion since Dior fired him, the AP reports. In fact, it's his love for fashion that has some defending him: DNAinfo spotted Steve Kolb, CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, tweeting, "That is John's hair and how he dresses and certainly not a mockery of others." Even the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, who says he's spent hours talking to the designer and insists he wants to redeem himself, is on Galliano's side. According to the New York Observer, the ADL press release reads, in part: "Hasidim do not wear fedora hats, pinstripe pants, blue jackets, or an ascot tie. This is John Galliano being John Galliano." (More John Galliano stories.)