Hubert de Givenchy may have been the quintessential French couturier, but his lifelong muse came from across the Channel: film star Audrey Hepburn.
With two British designers currently at the helm of its design studios, as the house searches for a new creative director following the departure of Matthew M. Williams, it should come as no surprise that the Anglo-Saxon influence bubbled just beneath the surface of its resort collection.
Susanna Venegas and Josh Bullen, head of women's and men's fashion respectively, drew key references from the Givenchy archive, but their inspiration came from English style icons.
The women's looks channeled the carefree elegance of the late model Stella Tennant, with a more relaxed version of the couture-inspired looks that walked the runway for fall 2024.
Sharp tailoring was highlighted by touches of cheetah-print shearling, while evening wear was simple, with the notable exception of a white pom-pom dress over a crystal grid that harked back to the '60s.
“She is provocative, but always elegant,” Venegas said. “She's all about having unwavering confidence.”
Confident enough to leave the house wearing a pastel yellow cable-knit sweater with nothing but black patent leather kitten heels, which came with a cute paw detail on the strap, one of several references to Givenchy's penchant for the cats that were scattered throughout the collection. .
Bullen unleashed a litter of kittens on a tongue-in-cheek sweater dotted with tiny blue satin ribbons and transformed a '70s-era print into “cat camouflage” on a field jacket. “There was a lot of humor in Hubert's work,” he noted.
Vintage trompe-l'oeil hair-print scarves were worn loose with a bomber jacket or shearling vest, and paired with a bow blouse and a novelty sweatshirt.
Bullen said the men's attitude was part gentlemanly and part punk. Former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon inspired colorful tuxedo jackets dressed with ribbed tank tops, while American artist Julian Schnabel, who likes to wear pajamas in public, inspired a jacket with a robe collar and a sleek Matching navy blue monogram set.
A mint green cardigan featured a 3D woven intarsia and jacquard motif inspired by the argyle pattern the brand's founder once used on a porcelain tea set. It doesn't get more British than that.
