Missing Galliano, Dior Show Tanks at Paris Fashion Week: Were the Reviews Too Harsh? [PICTURES]

Dior's first collection sans John Galliano has been called a disappointment and a failure to inspire.

John Galliano was Dior's Creative Director for 15 years until he was fired earlier this year amid a scandal resulting from anti-Semetic remarks made during what appeared to be a drunken or drug-fueled diatribe caught on video. The racist comments prompted former muse and face of Miss Dior Cheri perfume Natalie Portman to break ties and speak out against him, saying she was deeply shocked and disgusted.

Since Galliano's firing, the design team has ben led unofficially by Bill Gaytten, who took a bow at the close of the 2011 Autumn/Winter Paris show but did not take credit for the collection, making Dior the first fashion house in history to present a haute couture collection without a named couturier.

Many reviewers felt the the collection was drawing from an overabundance of influences, and the Washington Post accused Gaytten of trying to prove his cultural erudition by shoving...disparate influences into a single show.

Not everyone agrees that the presentation was a complete failure. A Youtube video of the show posted by ITN calls it stunning.

What do you think?