She was instrumental in orchestrating Galliano’s return, and was one of the first people to wear one of his dresses publicly after his disgrace. In 2024, she told The Times, “I feel quite strongly that our culture has begun to move too quickly toward condemnation — toward a feeling of certainty that particular offenses or mistakes are unforgivable. The truth is we rarely know the full story, and all of us are fallible.” A Galliano retrospective at the Met has been a longtime goal for Wintour, and would be an affirmation of her power to shape the fashion world and another element of her legacy.
“There is no one more deserving of an exhibition of this scale than John Galliano,” Wintour wrote in a text message. “Designers dream of changing the world with a single collection; John has done it over and over again. His career isn’t defined by a single moment — something he will live with for the rest of his life.” But, she went on, “the exhibition won’t shy away from any of the darkness.”
Certainly, fashion seems to have moved past any discomfort with Galliano. In January, he sat front row at Jonathan Anderson’s debut couture show for Dior — his first time back at the house since his dismissal — and was mobbed afterward not only by members of the audience but by Dior’s owner, Bernard Arnault, and his entire family.
In March, Zara announced a two-year collaboration with Galliano. The response, in both cases, was excitement rather than castigation. And indeed, there is a long history in fashion of subordinating transgressions to talent, going back to Coco Chanel, who chose to collaborate with the Nazis rather than risk her business during World War II.
It remains to be seen whether that attitude will extend to the broader Met audience and the Galliano show, which will open May 9, 2027, and be on view through Jan. 9, 2028. However, there are plans for it to travel to other museums after the Met — another rare honor — and the leaders of those institutions will undoubtedly be watching the reactions closely.
“There may be many in the Jewish community who find this to be problematic,” said Davidson, the Temple Emanu-El rabbi. “People may very likely be upset by it. I can understand those feelings.”