AS Givenchy’s first female artistic director, British fashion designer Clare Waight Keller’s debut Spring 2018 Haute Couture show was highly anticipated. Waight Keller’s reinterpretation of the Givenchy legacy produced a beautiful, luxurious, flowing collection with an edge. Held at Paris’s National Archives building, a location never before used for a catwalk was one of many bold moves taken by Keller bearing in mind Givenchy, since 2010, has opted for more intimate, narrower shows.
The collection was made up of 40 flawlessly elegant looks in total that made you appreciate the craft of couture, as well as encourage an opinion on its future. Ombre-pleated evening gowns, gunmetal decoration and crystal fringes created fluidity and shine, a gentle nod towards Waight Keller’s Mysteries of a Garden at Night inspiration. Ostrich feather linings and wet look frills in an array of textiles bounced down the runway effectively creating air and movement. A natural atmosphere made even stronger by the calm sound of crickets in the background. A moonlit garden setting was evoked by the fact one-third of the collection was designed in black.
Adding an edge to this fluidity was the integration of men’s couture garments into the show. Generally unheard of on the couture runway, the use of four male models reinforced the fact that gender lines are blurring. Likewise the use of latex may have raised eyebrows when reading the program notes but in reality was so beautifully crafted and paired so well with traditional couture techniques that little negative reverberations were made. Waight Keller’s modernist mission was masterfully entwined into each textile and piece sent down the runway consequently carving out a bold name for herself in the couture scene.
by Lily Rimmer
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