Yesterday at 4:30pm in London, John Galliano made his highly-anticipated fashion comeback with an event in London to showcase the Spring 2015 Couture ‘Artisanal’ range from French fashion house Maison Martin Margiela, marking his first solo show following his fall from grace in 2011

Held in a brand-new office building near Victoria station – presented during the last day of the London Collections: Men – yesterday afternoon, Dior’s former creative director John Galliano made his long-awaited return to fashion with his new role as the creative chief for Maison Martin Margiela with a “small collection” of Haute Couture. Keeping things minimal, four days before the collection, Margiela posted a black-and-white image of its invitation, which simply read, “#MargielaMonday. London 12.01.15”.

With only two single rows of chairs, the special presentation was kept intimate and simple as Alber Elbaz, Kate Moss, Nicola Formichetti, Nick Knight, Anna Wintour, Christopher Bailey, Manolo Blahnik and more took their seats with heavy anticipation. Shirley Bassey‘s track Big Spender set the scene as the first model strode out in a suede vest with an unusual fox trim and two-toned stockings, which was followed by a romantic and artisanal brigade of red. There were ruby red jackets with lobster breastplates, billowing capes and hair nets, as well denim shorts worn with a bra made of netting. 

Focusing on the French label’s niche for craftsmanship and exquisite tailoring, strapless dresses came out with sleeves sewn onto chests, alongside a short jacket crafted from a vivid tiger print – a bold comeback for the crafty king of fashion.

However the final look encompassed a combination of everything Galliano and Margiela are known for, embellishment, luxurious layering and cutting edge design, as a multi-layered red dress worn with decorated gold latex gloves, a matching 3D-chest piece and elaborate face mask appeared on the tiled catwalk – and on that note it’s safe to say, “Welcome back Mr. Galliano, you were missed.”