Riccardo Ticsi, like others this season, turned to ancient cultures for inspiration for his Givenchy Spring 2014 Ready to Wear collection. Pop culture humor from seasons past certainly grinned sweetly from the front row (both Anna Dello Russo and Lilly Collins donned The Bambi Sweatshirt Dress).But with the set alone, Ticsi announced a break from the ostentatious, crashing it literally on the runway by way of totaled luxury cars. He returned, instead, to hint at the minimalism that marked his early work, calling on Japan and Africa.
Jersey gowns, twisted and draped, launched the collection. Intricate in their patterns and nearly woven, they had an unexpected solidity. Origami folds of pieced black suiting felt similarly grounded, with their leather and sheer details adding the Ticsi edge to the historical Givenchy elegance. Richly colored sequins somehow managed to maintain the serenity, even with a warrior mask mixed into the line. Here, the cut and simple draping connected to the earlier pieces in the collection, with smooth tunics.
A Givenchy collection needs both the cheekily casual and the dramatically elegant to serve its ratified public. Feathered leather gowns hit both notes, and transitioned the sequins into more column gowns. Then in peeked jumpsuits, which could of course go either way, street-level or gala-ready. Perhaps the most striking piece in the collection was in fact a strapless jumpsuit with a diagonally pleated bodice. But there is no doubt that the pleated skirts dappled in black and primary colors and their plunging V-necks will make it to at least a red carpet – or three.
Images courtesy Style.com
by Alison Santighian