British fashion designer John Galliano smiles after the presentation of Dior's fall-winter 2002/2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 HAUTE COUTURE collection.

 
Feathers were flying at Dior's show Monday of fall haute couture by creative cut-up John Galliano.

He's been showing recently in a tent at the Auteuil race course -- in line with his penchant for dramatic, inconvenient spots.

But this spectacle was up to his eye-popping standards. Clothes? Forget it. These are costumes rather than clothes.

A puffy, round, short olive anorak with salmon lining over long legs and high heels led off to the enthusiastic singing of the London Community Gospel choir.

On marched a girl looking like she was straight out of the Lido, the famous cabaret in Paris, with a huge ostrich-feather halo, and a crimped and ruffled pink satin top over a skinny beige skirt and stiletto heels.

A lot of outlandish hairdos followed, so many that it looks as if Galliano and his milliner Stephen Jones are actually working for the Lido.

One version had a kind of leopard face at the front and a cascade of greenish feathers down the back, with a brown jumpsuit under it all.

For a dress suggestion, Galliano offered a short draped sheath with a cartoon print pattern, and an enormous denim-blue bow like a shoulder fichu on the top.

In the shock market, there were some aluminum bras and protruding metallic stomach features -- though the draped or lace skirts that went with this might be wearable under other tops.

But feathers and furs were the star of this show. A multicoloured ostrich feather gown was remarkable, and some full-skirted dresses were blown up by a wind machine to show the colourful feathers, reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe caught by the camera with her skirt flying.

	Birds of a feather Sequins & sparkles