Christian Dior, one of the first major French houses to show its fall 2008 collections this week, went back to the Swinging Sixties – 1961 to be precise. It was that year the house declared: "Never forget the woman."

And it appeared that this decades-old missive was one that designer John Galliano was determined to follow.

If the models' teased bouffant hair and theatrical white eye makeup took the drama into costume territory, (this is a John Galliano show, after all) the clothing proved classics can still make a style statement in today's world.