AS FAR as debuts go, Sarah Burton’s opening collection for Givenchy was a long-awaited return to the simple glamour that the House was founded on. It cemented the need for more female creative directors, and after the show’s success, the pressure intensified in anticipation of her sophomore collection.
For Spring/ Summer 2026, the British designer helped etch the new identity of the brand further by continuing to embrace the dialogue between its heritage of fine-tuned minimalism and tailoring, with her signature feminine lens.
Framed around the idea of “peeling back the structure of tailoring to reveal skin and a sense of lightness” – as the show notes simply state – this season, Burton played around the border of dressing and undressing. Her design language has always been rooted in precision, but so far, she has remained devoted to feminine codes rather than borrowing from masculine dressing.
Dismantling the skeleton of tailoring, she peeled back lapels with bras peaking out, continued swapping jacket fronts to the back, and emphasised curved sides, from sculpted hips to rounded sleeves. Satin duchess added a lightness to SS26 – most notably, a black duchess satin mini-dress opened the show with a cutout neckline, signalling the start of her showcase of visual tension – followed swiftly by mesh, shredded chiffon, and ornate silk.
What Burton has done so well in only two collections is lay a clear framework of silhouettes that will become synonymous with Givenchy. However, what’s even more interesting is her subtle approach to bridging couture elements with ready-to-wear, like the “bed sheet” style gown, held close to the model’s chest, designed with fringed embellishments more akin to the upper echelons of ostentation than runway.
Less than a year in, Burton has solidified the new look for the House – one that finally pushes cyclical trends and ultra-logo driven pieces to the side, and follows the founder’s couture route to the present day.
by Imogen Clark