Tirade-prone former Dior designer John Galliano's latest collection was shown today in Paris, and the overall mood was... sad. The NYT's On the Runway blog captures the scene:

Now that video of Dior creative director John Galliano announcing "I love Hitler" is all over the internet, let's revisit how quick the fashion press was to defend him from claims of anti-Semitism.

Click to viewThe UK's Sun has obtained this video, recorded last week at La Perle, wherein Christian Dior creative director allegedly spewed anti-Semitic remarks at a couple at the adjoining table. The moment was captured by a friend of the couple. In it, Galliano is seen slurring his words, but clearly stating: "I love Hitler" and "People like you would be dead. Your mothers, your forefathers, would all be f****** gassed." Last week, Dior suspended Galliano over his arrest at the Paris bar where police reports allege the designer assaulted a couple and made anti-Semitic remarks.

After being suspended from his job for allegedly hurling anti-Semitic slurs at a couple in Paris on Thursday, Dior designer John Galliano has filed a defamation lawsuit against the pair. French newspaper Le Figaro says Galliano has written statements from witnesses to back him up. [WSJ]

• In the market for a $40,000 dress? Better jump on a plane to Paris. Haute Couture Week kicked off today. [AP, Vogue UK, Independent, FWD]
• The situation at Christian Lacroix, which filed for bankruptcy a few weeks back, is getting bleaker by the day: The company may be reduced from 124 employees to 12 if a buyer doesn't materialize soon. [WWD, Cut]
• The JCPenney at the Manhattan Mall opens in a mere 25 days. Don't forget to update your cousins in Omaha so they can mark their calendars. [Racked]
• Roberto Cavalli claims he never pays attention to costs ("I don't know anything about the financial crisis"), thinks Dubai is "a city for the future," and says all he really wants is to be loved. So, yes, he's human. [Times UK]
• Elle's Joe Zee is now tweeting, just so you know. [Twitter]

• A camera crew followed Rachel Zoe around during Paris Fashion Week, which means the second season of her Bravo reality show is headed your way. [FWD]
• Dov Charney's cash-strapped American Apparel is selling 18 percent of the company to a private equity firm to pay down some of its debt. [BN]
• The hat Aretha Franklin wore to the inauguration in January? More than 5,000 orders have been placed since then. At $179 a pop, no less. [NYT]
• Video of Karl Lagerfeld at Paris Fashion Week. [NYM]
• What's Sofia Coppola up to these days? She's directing perfume ads for Dior, that's what. [NYT/The Moment]
• Marc Jacobs and Lorenzo Martone are on their way to Brazil for a little post-fashion season R&R, in case you're interested. [FWD]
• LA Fashion Week begins tonight! [Racked, Stylefile]

Depending on your perspective, it's either a reassuring indication that the global recession can't be as bad as all that, or the kind of tasteless display of decadence that no longer has any place in the new economy: Couture fashion week in Paris is currently underway with shows as lavish as ever, even though you'd think that dresses costing a quarter of a million dollars might have a slightly shrinking client base. Dior designer John Galliano, who put on a show yesterday that cost around $3 million, points out that his job "is to make women dream. Of course I'm aware of the credit crunch, but it is not a creative crunch—not at the house of Dior, anyway."

Mere days after scientists assured her that "karma tectonics" was most certainly not responsible for the devastating May 12 earthquake that killed nearly 70,000 people in China, Sharon Stone revised her earlier geological lecture to include a direct apology to the Chinese people for suggesting as much in the first place. "Due to my inappropriate words and acts during the interview, I feel deeply sorry and sad about hurting Chinese people," Stone said in a statement released through Christian Dior, which is dropping the actress from its ads in China. "I am willing to take part in the relief work of China's earthquake, and wholly devote myself to helping affected Chinese people."

Over at Gizmodo, a couple of essential accessories for the sleek geek. Felicidade's Groove bag has a slot for an iPod digital music player, and built-in speakers. Which beats even the case from Christian Dior.
Papa's got a brand new iPod bag [Gizmodo]
Dior iPod case [Gizmodo]