Givenchy was in a transitional season, although you wouldn't know it from the crowds of people who gathered outside the French fashion house's historic salons on Avenue George V ahead of its fall ready-to-wear show.
In the absence of a creative director following the departure of Matthew M. Williams, there was no stellar front row this season, although the brand continues to rack up red carpet credits, having dressed Kate Winslet, Carey Mulligan and Naomi Watts for recent events.
It made sense, then, that his fall collection would be elegant, with a variety of cocktail and evening wear that harked back to the collections of founder Hubert de Givenchy. The creative brief seemed to be: What would Audrey Hepburn wear today?
Flare coats, draped pencil skirts, and LBDs channeled the golden age of couture, but the hemlines were strictly 21st century: cocktail dresses with graphic necklines that ended well above the knee. You could imagine them in recent ingenues like “Emily in Paris” star Lily Collins.
There was an '80s undertone to the plump furs and suit jackets with very straight shoulders. The tailoring was strong, especially the long navy herringbone or jacquard wool coats with an archival cat hair motif, and the baggy trousers worn with peplum vests.
Givenchy has a world-class couture atelier, and went all out with looks like a backless crystallized maroon bustier dress; a short coat sprouting thousands of carefully trimmed feathers and a draped black dress that was a marvel of deceptive simplicity.
Despite all the artistry on display, the collection was missing a key ingredient: heat. The house recently released a captivating catalog of its shows titled “Givenchy: The Complete Collections.” If it proved anything, it's that a studio team can keep a brand bubbling, but it takes strong creative direction to make it sizzle.
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