Bill Gaytten john galliano dior fall 2011 couture paris fashion week designer

Christian Dior Spring 2011 Couture (Galliano) & Fall 2011 Couture (Gaytten). AFP/Getty Images, WireImage

Couture can often be a difficult fashion genre to debate since the pieces are by definition considered one-off works of art. Yesterday however, at the start of the Fall 2011 Couture shows in Paris, one house's collection was distinctly different from their last. With the loss of head designer John Galliano, Christian Dior also lost that glamorous whimsy and tailored sophistication that usually put the label's couture presentation in one of the top spots during the season. This year's collection was designed by Bill Gaytten, Galliano's recent replacement, and though he did have some seriously tough shoes to fill, his first Dior couture pieces felt thrown together without much feeling or thought behind them - and that's putting it lightly.

All together, the reviews have been pretty brutal, from Cathy Horyn's "Days of Strangeness at Dior," to Suzy Menkes' "3 Weddings and a Dior Carnival," it's becoming clear that Gaytten just might not cut it as Galliano's successor. From the 80's and 90's inspired art deco looks that opened the show, to the moonbeams and shooting stars that topped the heads of models toward the end, there's just no denying that this couture show was vastly different and sadly, misinterpreted the uniquely Parisian aesthetic that Dior's designers (namely Galliano) spent so many years cultivating.

So will there be another new replacement after Gaytten's couture bomb? Only time, and more horrible reviews, will tell. Until then though, check out our poll and tell us which designer you think did Dior couture true justice.