This Dior Collector’s Closet Is Filled With John Galliano Gems

Photography by Nathan Sweet. Hair by Juan Vigoya

For Jeauni Cassanova, their vintage Dior collection is all about setting their feminine side free.

Date September 27, 2023

While you can’t buy self-love, you can buy vintage Dior, and for Jeauni (pronounced “Joo-nee”) Cassanova, this sparked a journey with unexpected rewards. The New Jersey artist has accumulated 70+ pieces of John Galliano-era Dior goodness in fewer than five years. “It just all unravelled in front of me,” Cassanova laughs. “Every time I bought something, it would be my opportunity to fall in love with another collection and then buy more.”

For those in need of a reminder, Galliano was the creative director of Christian Dior from 1996 to 2011. His tenure was defined by unapologetic opulence and romance, where fantasy and frivolity were prioritized over function. Thanks to him, we have the saddlebag, Kate Moss’s wedding gown and the iconic newspaper dress forever immortalized by Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City. “His designs celebrate divine femininity,” Cassanova explains. “Sometimes they’re sexy; then they’re rough or playful. He makes femininity multi-dimensional.” This is a concept that the collector only came to terms with recently.

Cassanova has always been a hopeless romantic mesmerized by beautiful things. Listing Lil’ Kim, Lady Gaga and Marilyn Monroe as some of their earliest influences, the collector explains that they all share a “romantic connection with the world, a desire to be seen, loved and validated,” while also challenging the conventions of beauty and femininity. Case in point: Inspired by Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” Cassanova wore gravity-defying heelless platforms every day in high school.

Fast-forward a few years and they went through what they describe as a “masculine boy phase” in reaction to feeling undesirable in the dating world. “I had been through a very traumatic relationship where my partner used my femininity as a punching bag,” Cassanova explains. “So I put my feminine self in a cage.”

Call it divine (or designer) intervention, but something immediately clicked when they bought their first Galliano-era item in 2018. “Most of my pieces are emotional checkpoints for the relationship I have with myself,” Cassanova reflects. “The more I surrendered to Galliano’s world, the more I was able to surrender to my own femininity.”

Enter the ruffles, romantic silhouettes and overall reverence for camp that consume the collector’s closet. Quintessential ’90s and 2000s archetypes abound. Textures range from oversized bouclé knits to luxe crocodile leathers. And the entire eccentric assortment reads like a fabulous fever dream.

But that’s not to say that Cassanova hasn’t experienced a few nightmares. After purchasing a rare mini blue saddlebag from Dior’s Fall 2000 collection, the collector took the purse to a leather restoration service. When it was returned, Cassanova saw that it was ruined; they were traumatized. “I sat on my front porch and cried in the rain,” they remember. “I’d never seen this bag on sale before, so I thought I had destroyed a part of history.” Luckily, they eventually found someone who could fix it, and the bag ended up looking more vintage than ever.

Despite the occasional sartorial heartache, Cassanova reiterates that the reason for their reservoir is that the items make them feel the most like themselves. “During every step of my journey with Dior, I was slowly letting myself be free,” they share. “My collection is a love letter to my divine feminine self — it just makes me come alive.”

Playing koi

Cassanova describes this koi-pond set from Dior’s Fall 2003 collection as “one of my most prized possessions.” It epitomizes everything they love about Galliano: It’s impeccably designed, the cut is exquisite and it captures his love of romance and fantasy.

Lovesick

“Trying to find the full runway look became like an illness — I was obsessive about it,” shares Cassanova of this full blue ensemble from Dior’s Fall 2000 collection. “I love a set. Something about it makes me feel like a real collector.”

Put a ring on it

Cassanova blames Carrie Bradshaw for starting their obsession with these Dior rings. After seeing them on Sex and the City, the collector spent years looking for the full set at a fair price, as the cost went up by thousands each year.

Saddle up

While “subtle” isn’t a style that Cassanova typically subscribes to, they do adore the subdued oblique pattern on this orange saddlebag. “I jokingly say that in order to see it, you have to lick it,” they laugh. “I love that the details are reserved for those who get closest to you.”

Like a glove

“I never buy anything in person,” says Cassanova of their shopping habits. Instead, they frequent websites like eBay, The RealReal and Vestiaire Collective and personal sellers like Queen Vin. But to find this bracelet, Cassanova looked abroad to a Japanese online marketplace, the name of which they’re keeping to themselves.

Caped crusader

Even though this green cape isn’t by Galliano, it’s still one of Cassanova’s favourite pieces in their Dior hoard. The collector estimates that it’s from the ’70s, during Marc Bohan’s reign as creative director. “This was my first piece of haute couture, and that in itself is a mega milestone,” they share.

Back to black

Cassanova can’t remember if their first Dior piece was this black jacket or the matching pair of boots. Whichever it was, it didn’t take long before general adoration turned into a full-blown addiction. “Galliano’s pieces are like diamonds,” they say. “When you hold one of them up to the light, every angle shows something different.”

Shoe up

Can one ever have too many shoes? Cassanova doesn’t think so, which would explain why they have 20 pairs from Dior. A particular favourite is this pair of red boots (which they also have in green) from the early 2000s.

Logomania

“This jewellery is so fly girl, Y2K and tacky — and I simply love it,” says the collector of these Dior necklaces. “It reminds me so much of Lil’ Kim and her unapologetic display of logomania and consumerism. I love to throw it in here and there as a little nod to one of my biggest style inspirations of all time.”

Green goddess

These green boots are what started Cassanova’s fascination with Dior’s Fall 2000 collection, entitled Fly Girl. “After I found these on Vestiaire Collective, I needed everything,” they reveal. “These boots were my first what I would call ‘p*ssy heel’ — they just ooze femininity.”

This article first appeared in FASHION’s October 2023 issue. Find out more here.