The New York Post is known for its always subtle, never offensive covers. Today is nothing new; the morning after President Obama's fifth State of the Union and Christopher Dorner's death, the most important story the Post had to tell was about some clothes designer John Galliano wore.
The story, full of the Post's classic puns ("who Jew kidding"), comes from a paparazzi image shot of the "provocative fashion pariah" as he was headed to Oscar de la Renta's design studio. The combination of his hair — fashioned into traditional sidelocks — the long coat and the hat is reminiscent of the garb worn by Hasidic Jews.
"Who is he mocking?" added Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind. "The way the socks look, the jacket, the peyos . . . My question is, who's he laughing at?
"If it was just anyone else, I wouldn't know what to say. But considering who this guy is, considering his background and what he's said in the past, let him explain it to all of us: Are you mocking us?"
To the Post's credit, Galliano has exhibited his fair share of anti-Semitism in the past. In 2011 he was found guilty of hate speech, fined $8,500 and fired from his job at Dior after he was caught on video proclaiming "I love Hitler" ahttp://nymag.com/thecut/2013/02/gallianos-outfit-accused-of-mocking-jews.htmlnd telling a woman "People like you would be dead. Your mothers, your forefathers, would all be fucking gassed" at a bar in Paris. It is illegal to make public anti-Semitic statements in France. However, a crazy outfit worn by a man known for crazy outfits is hardly cause for outrage.
Or is it?
"He just better not step in our streets or come to our synagogue," sad one furious Williamsburg resident after seeing a picture of Galliano's garb.
Yes, "one furious Williamsburg resident" and definitely not "a New York Post reporter who needed a punchy quote for a manufactured article."
Update: It's important to note that this is how Galliano always dresses. As The Cut notes:
...Galliano has been wearing this exact outfit for ages, right down to the ringlets in his hair - which are definitely not peyos, as they circle his whole head. The exaggerated bowler hat, baggy cropped pants, and long jacket are such well-known components of his uniform that Bill Gaytten, Galliano's successor at his namesake line, modeled an entire menswear collection on them for spring 2012. Indeed, the hat Galliano wore yesterday looks to be one of Gaytten's recent designs.