Two LVMH brands paraded on a rainy Thursday in Paris: Off-White and Givenchy, where the art of editing, or not, a collection was at the center of the issue in both shows.
Off-White: an American in Paris
A packed Louvre Carousel, with thousands of fans braving the rain outside to catch a glimpse of the stars of the black nomenklatura entering the latest Off-White show.
Serena Williams sparked a paparazzi and influencer frenzy when she walked in to join Rich the Kid and Tina Kunakey beneath the Louvre Museum. Like the celebrities on display, they all sat on low circular disks built on the show's stage. Joining super superstars like Toni Garrn and Alessandra Ambrosio in front of two huge silver dice, to be better admired by the front row of editors, critics and executives.
Designed by Ibrahim Kamara, this Off-White collection was an homage to the Black American influence on our global culture, and the result was a fun display of Instagram-friendly fashion.
Perhaps Kamara could be blamed for lacking an auto-edit button. She attached multiple pockets; simulated sashes; string instruments; holsters for both cowboys and carpenters; laces and straps for many looks. Although, once again, the results were full of kicks and punches.
Ibrahim also played with Off-White's DNA, mainly with the quad arrow logo, seen on the back or heart of baseball jackets or embossed on some fantastic sewn-on bags. All good brand building.
In a mixed show, the Off-White guy turned out to be more of a poet than a guy. Favoring pink cardigans, lilac jeans and endless lime looks. Although there were also quite a few trapper rappers in faux fur Klondike hats. While one guy, the size of a linebacker, was wearing gangster pants with star-covered monograms over a matching bag, with a baseball jacket on the back of which an evil leprechaun was hexing two dice.
Ironically for a gentleman who rose to fame as a fashion designer with Dazed magazine, Kamara might consider hiring a new one.
Before a driving finale with the entire cast dancing to the Beyoncé song. swagwhich earned Kamara an impressive ovation.
There is life that appears in Off-White after the death of its noble founder Virgil Abloh.
Givenchy: Commercial Committee Collection
Givenchy said goodbye to its most recent designer, the American Matthew Williams, a few months ago, and since then its men's show in January and its women's collection this season have been designed by a studio team.
Well, this collection looked very Givenchy, from the opening soiree looks to the pearly gray feathered bride at the end.
The drawbacks and virtues of a committee were evident in this sample, especially the latter. Whoever led the design team is pretty clear about what Givenchy stood for: polished Parisian style with layers of sophistication.
Created almost entirely in black, gray and white, it featured metallic gray cocktails; jet black leather cocktails elegantly gathered and finished with bows; or elegant dominatrix corsets.
His tailoring was strong: from men's anthracite jacquard tailed redingotes, worn with matching shorts, to impeccable Harris tweed board member suits.
Slightly gothic and always quite chic and tough, for a collection that aims to keep business running in Givenchy's boutiques until a new designer arrives, this was pretty good.
Held inside the brand's historic headquarters on Avenue George V, the show also marked the first since Michael Burke's appointment as president of fashion group LVMH. On an active day, Burke might see two of his brands, Off-White and Givenchy, both in reasonably good health.
His next big decision: choosing a new creative director for Givenchy. That's what led to the opening song being chosen for the soundtrack: the distorted anthem. Bela Lugois has died – so perfect. Because the tune is about Dracula's greatest performer retiring from the role, but ultimately unable to give up the role.
They say Hubert de Givenchy never got over the early sale to LVMH and watching iconoclastic designers like John Galliano and Alexander McQueen wreak what he considered havoc on his brand. Therefore, if he contemplates this collection, he will probably feel reassured by its respectful homage. Furthermore, unlike Bela, Hubert was able to retire.
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