• In pictures: Christian Dior
• Video: Christian Dior

With their hair teased into giant bouffant do’s, multi-coloured eye-shadows and graphic-print shifts in acid tones of lime, magenta, turquoise, lemon and orange, accessorised with matching gloves, bags and shoes, the models resembled the cast from Peter Seller’s 1968 comedy, “The Party.”

Former model and actress, Marisa Berenson, one of the leading celebrities of the time, joined the actresses Lucy Liu and Monica Cruz, in the front row, watching in amazement as the style of her youth was re-born.

Dior’s creative director, the British designer, John Galliano, said he had been inspired by a visit to the American Vogue archives from the 60’s, a time when the legendary Diana Vreeland was editing the magazine.

“I looked into the similar period at Dior when Yves Saint Laurent and, then, Marc Bohan, were designing for the house, Bailey and Avedon and Penn were taking great fashion photographs and it was a time of optimism and bright colours. It seemed to me is what’s needed right now.”

The collection, for next autumn/winter, was one of Galliano’s most literal for Dior. It featured retro-style coats and suits, with neat, buttoned jackets and slim, A-line skirts to the knee, in fuschia and orange silk, black and white houndstooth trimmed with patent leather, and violet ostrich.

Cocktail shifts in emerald silk had gilt rings tethering the yoke to the body of the dress. Printed silk dresses came with one sleeve, re-embroidered with matching, coloured sequins.

The cocktail hour was marked with orange, pink and fuschia printed shifts, trimmed with orange ostrich feathers, and straight sack-dresses with a flounce at the knee, decorated with beads and bows.

For grand balls, Galliano re-introduced the rise-and-fall hemline – a giant bright pink puffball, touching the floor at the back and rising in the front to reveal a crystal-beaded short skirt, which showed yet again that season after season he can still dazzle for Dior.