GIVENCHY’S creative director, Clare Waight Keller, brings her one-of-a-kind artistry into the sphere of haute couture with her show, Noblesse Radicale. As a veteran fashion designer known for creating the wedding gown of a real-life noble, Megan Markle, Waight Keller proves she is prepared to reign supreme when it comes to couture week in Paris. With her AW19 collection, she ensures each look that crosses the catwalk in Paris embodies a substantial amount of aristocratic elegance with a touch of rebellion.
As for her unique vision for the show, Waight Keller fixates on a motif surrounding the grandeur and opulence of a royal society of eras gone by. It seems altogether fitting that such an ambitious collection would take place at the spectacular Musée Des Arts Décoratifs, in the west wing of the Louvre.
Givenchy’s reimagining of the past also focuses on capturing a socialite’s imaginary journeys through villas, chateaus and stately homes. The entire collection explores a deconstruction of the elegant evening wear.
While each design plays with the concept of royalty, Waight Keller makes sure to include features such as flyaway ribbons, iridescent lace pleating and fountains of fringe, which invoke the notion of “undone glamour”. Despite its intentional imperfection, the audience remains totally captivated.
The collection also emphasises elements of ethereal majesty. Waight Keller accentuates this by embellishing many of the looks with colourful ostrich plumage, which delicately flicker as models move across the runway.
One of the more memorable looks to cross the catwalk is donned by Kaia Gerber. The ombre waterfall of feathers falls in an epic blue-green cascade.
Models can also be seen draped in voluminous taffetta creating magnificent silhouettes. If one looks closer at the sheaths of dazzling tonal sequences or even the metalwork, each intricate details is evidence of Waight Keller’s unparalleled dedication to perfection.
The menswear is also expertly curated. The sculpted round shoulders, hourglass waists and blazers hark back to that quintessential regal silhouette that Givenchy searches for with the AW19 collection.
by Maria Noyen