Galliano Extends Contract at Dior

DEAR JOHN: If John Galliano adores Dior, the feeling is entirely mutual. According to a Paris source, the designer has just inked a “long-term extension” of his design contract as couturier of the storied Paris house. Last year, Galliano clocked a decade at the helm of Dior as the house celebrated its 60th anniversary. What’s more, it is understood Dior plans to integrate the John Galliano business under its auspices, underlining the continuity of a close partnership. With Galliano at the creative helm, the brand has charted a global retail expansion, planting more than 220 stores around the world, with sales advancing in the Middle East, China and Russia despite an uncertain economic environment. Later this month, Dior will fete its new flagship in New Delhi as it also plots major events from Beijing to Moscow. While it was shock treatment at Dior in his early years, Galliano has recently steered the house in a more sophisticated and demure direction, with French First Lady Carla Bruni Sarkozy sporting the new look at official functions in England, Israel and the United States.