IT HAS been a tumultuous year for Givenchy, with the loss of the House’s founder Hubert de Givenchy in March, followed a royal distinction as the label was selected to design Meghan Markle’s wedding dress. The Haute Couture Autumn-Winter collection payed homage to the renowned couturier and his timeless creations, as well as the women who have served as muse to the House since its conception, from Misses Hepburn to Markle.
In true Givenchy style, the collection imbued simplicity with a refined elegance, focusing on creating clean, fluid and ultra-sophisticated shapes that smoothed the female body into something effortlessly cool and sleek. With nipped-in waists and accentuated shoulders, sculptural silhouettes and flooding capes, the designs allowed the properties of exquisite fabrics to speak for themselves.
Taking inspiration from 1950s and ‘60s icons, the collection of vintage caped dresses, feathered detailing, subtly tailored jackets and intricately beaded skirts screamed of old Hollywood glamour. The show opened with a silk column dress and closed with a hooded velvet little black dress sent down the catwalk accompanied by Audrey Hepburn’s Moon River rendition, in a clear homage to the actress who inspired much of Givenchy’s work. There were also nods to more modern muses, with a white off-the-shoulder gown à la Meghan given a new twist through the addition of pale pink and black bands.
Uniting a sense of history with modern fabrics and the pure timeless glamour of exquisite silhouettes, the Autumn Winter Haute Couture was a lesson in all the essentials of Givenchy elegance.
by Rachel Parker