Givenchy homage on first day of Paris haute couture shows
Clare Waight Keller, the Givenchy stylist who
grabbed the global fashion spotlight by designing Meghan Markle’s wedding
dress, paid homage to the storied house’s late founder in her latest haute
couture collection.
On the first day of Paris couture week, the Givenchy show, held in
the
gardens of the National Archives in the city’s Marais district, was
shrouded
in mystery and old-school Hollywood glamour.
It was Keller’s first show since the house’s founder Hubert de Givenchy
died in March at the age of 91.
To the sound of Givenchy’s muse Audrey Hepburn singing “Moon River”,
the
models strutted down a catwalk that shimmered like a river.
Draped dresses, voluminous jewels, and feathers dotted the collection —
47-year-old Waight Keller’s second haute couture offering since she
succeeded
Riccardo Tisci at Givenchy in March 2017, shortly after leaving rival label
Chloe after six years at the helm.
The colour palette was essentially black and white. Regal capes
abounded —
sometimes short, sometimes sweeping, sometimes hooded.
Gem-coloured sequins covered some dresses, evoking mermaid scales. Even
the
masculine silhouettes also sparkled with sequins.
The British artistic director created the boat-necked, sculpted dress
that
Markle wore for her wedding to Prince Harry on May 19, featuring a
five-metre
(16-foot) train embroidered with flowers from all 53 Commonwealth countries.
Markle also chose Givenchy for her first official engagement on June 14
alongside Queen Elizabeth II, sporting a beige wool crepe dress with a
small
cape.
A Parisian affair
The official haute couture programme includes 35 shows, running
through
Wednesday, with collections from 11 nations: Belgium, China, France,
Israel,
Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Morocco, The Netherlands, Russia and the United
States.
Unlike ready-to-wear shows, haute couture rollouts in January and July
are
a solely Parisian affair.
The prestigious “haute couture” label is accorded by the French
industry
ministry to acknowledge traditional craftsmanship in hand-sewn, custom-made
garments using strict criteria.
Only 14 fashion houses currently boast the recognition, including
Chanel,
Christian Dior, Giambattista Valli, Givenchy, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Maison
Margiela, Schiaparelli, Alexis Mabille and Stephane Rolland.
The catwalk displays of some of the world’s most expensive clothes
will be
followed on Thursday by high-end jewellery collections by the likes of Anna
Hu, Bulgari, Chanel, Chopard, De Beers, Dior, Louis Vuitton and Mikimoto.
Off the official programme, fashionistas on Sunday were treated to a
show
of exclusive creations by Sonia Rykiel, the fashion house founded by the
influential French designer who died in 2016.
Although the house develops ready-to-wear lines, it worked up
handmade,
limited-edition items to mark its 50th anniversary for the show in the
elegant
courtyard of the Ecole des Beaux Arts.
Artistic director Julie de Libran paid homage to some of the label’s
classics, with trademark mesh, black contrasted with bright colours, and
lots
of sequins and embroidery.
See-through black tulle skirts were paired with big coats or wool
pullovers, while a wedding dress was worn with jeans.
The pioneering Rykiel was a fixture in the industry for half a
century,
buoyed by the Swinging Sixties craze in London and the emerging feminist
movement across the globe.(AFP)
Credit: Givenchy AW18, Catwalkpictures