It’s the end of a fashion era.

On Tuesday, officials from the renowned fashion label Christian Dior announced their decision to fire their creative director and famed couturier John Galliano. A video of an inebriated Galliano surfaced on the Internet Tuesday, recording him making anti-Semitic remarks at a café in Paris.

Comments filmed on camera included Galliano saying, ‘I love Hitler’ and ‘Your mothers and forefathers would all be gassed,’ according to an article published in The New York Times on Tuesday.

The fashion industry seems to be split in its reaction toward Galliano’s slip of the mouth. On the one hand, you have people like Natalie Portman, a spokeswoman for Dior who happens to be of Jewish descent, condemning Galliano for his actions and refusing to be associated with him in any way. You also have equally respected designers, such as Karl Lagerfeld, ashamed and angry with Galliano for putting him and the industry that birthed him into such a negative light.

‘I’m furious with him because of the harm he did to LVMH and Bernard Arnault (chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH), who is a friend, and who supported him more than he supported any other designer in his group, because Dior is his favorite label. It’s as if he had his child hurt,’ said Lagerfeld in an article published in Women’s Wear Daily on Monday.

Then you have the other half of the fashion industry: people who know Galliano on a personal level and are quick to defend him. Such people include Patricia Field, a ‘Sex and the City’ wardrobe stylist and designer, who sent an e-mail blast in support of Galliano.

‘But people don’t recognize the farce in it. All of a sudden they don’t know him. But it’s OK when it’s Mel Brooks,’ Field said to Women’s Wear Daily.

Though Galliano’s future lays in a standstill in the fashion world and in the legal world — defamation and insult is illegal under French law, and one could be subject to six months to one year in prison — one more question remains at a standstill: Who will take over as the creative director of Dior?

According to several sources, including Women’s Wear Daily, Vogue UK and Fashionista.com, CEO Bernard Arnault of LVMH — the luxury giant that owns brands such as Dior, Givenchy, Celine and Louis Vuitton — will likely choose Dior’s successor within the corporation as it is the best and most secure decision. This means Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy, Phoebe Philo of Celine and Marc Jacobs of Louis Vuitton are all in the forefront of one of the biggest fashion shufflings to date.

Experts flagged other fashion bigwigs outside of LVMH, such as Alber Elbaz of Lanvin; Christian Lacroix, prominent couturier; and Stefano Pilati of Yves Saint Laurent.

I’m not much of a bookie, but if I had to put my college savings into fashion’s roulette table, my money is on the following three people: Jacobs, Lacroix and Tisci.

Jacobs has done great work for Louis Vuitton, but the brand goes down in history as much more of a leather goods label than a fashion label. In this case, sometimes it’s better to stick with what a company knows best. Jacobs hasn’t had the opportunity to showcase his ability at couture fashion in neither Louis Vuitton nor his eponymous label. With such talent, Jacobs could flourish at a brand like Dior.

Lacroix would be a bold move on Arnault’s part because he isn’t apart of LVMH and has been out of the fashion industry since his own label filed for bankruptcy in 2009. This opportunity, however, would be a great comeback for one of the best couture designers in history. Lacroix’s creativity could change the Dior label’s aesthetics in a new and exciting way.

Tisci is the safety net in LVMH for me. Similar to Galliano’s reputation at Dior, Tisci truly made Givenchy into the brand it is today. And with his experience in couture design, the transition would be an easy one. Galliano also started in Givenchy before making his move to Dior, so if Tisci follows in his footsteps, the eerie resemblance could easily raise goose bumps in the fashion industry.

Whoever Arnault decides on for Dior, it will truly be ground shaking, as if the drama in Galliano’s life isn’t enough of a fashion earthquake already. It will be interesting to see what unfolds in the news in the next few days, as I’m sure all fashionistas are thriving on this newfound energy.

After all, what is fashion without a little bit of drama?

Vicki Ho is a senior public relations major. Her column appears every Thursday, and she can be reached at vho@syr.edu.

Published on March 1, 2011 at 12:00 pm