Givenchy A/W 2018
Clare Waight Keller presents a collection of irresistible Forties glamour
Scene setting: It was a chilly, rainy morning at the Palais de Justice, the imposing courtroom building in the Île de la Cité where Givenchy has been showing its collections since Clare Waight Keller took the reins last season. Guests made their way towards the venue through long, cavernous corridors, sipping coffee and nibbling on madeleines (the best possible present we could hope for at 10am on a Sunday) to find a room arranged as an organic-shaped labyrinth dressed with velvet curtains in powdery tones. The lights were dim, the atmosphere ominous. It was quite the Lynchian landscape. And there was a reason for it.
Mood board: ‘Night Noir’ was the show’s title. Waight Keller was inspired, as the notes explained, both by the sophisticated and seedy aesthetics of classic Hollywood film noir and her own memories of Berlin. The result of that eclectic but somewhat logical mix fell somewhere between Joan Crawford's Mildred Pierce (1945) and the decadence of Weimar Germany. The silhouette was sharp, sophisticated and thoroughly grown-up (Waight Keller knows very well who her Givenchy client), taking cues from both the powerful shoulder lines and masculine-feminine duality of the Forties and the coldness and boxy shapes of the Eighties. Particularly so for the menswear, which veered away from the very skinny — and very Slimanesque — rock ‘n’ roll vibes from last season.
Best in show: It was all about the chubby (fake) fur coat at the beginning, a shrewd, trend-savvy move from Waight Keller, especially given the amount of synthetic voluminous coats we’ve seen on the catwalks so far this season. But it was the tail end of the show which truly caught our attention: a series of evening looks including variations on the tuxedo (a cream sleeveless shirt with a fringe detail looked particularly irresistible), silver sequined dresses, overblown taffeta bows and a profusion of flapper fringes in shirts and skirts. It was as if Waight Keller was designing the costumes for a black-and-white Hollywood film. It became her, and it was there that she best managed the delicate balance between Hubert de Givenchy and Riccardo Tisci’s heritage and her own personal aesthetic.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
‘120 years of artistry, of character’: How Paula Gerbase is breathing new life into historic Danish design house Georg Jensen
Paula Gerbase, the newly instated creative director of Georg Jensen, speaks to Wallpaper* about bringing the 120-year-old silversmith into a new era
By Jack Moss Published
-
For designer and craftsman Kodai Iwamoto 'good design should be able to speak for itself'
In a rapidly changing world, the route designers take to discover their calling is increasingly circuitous. Here we speak to Kodai Iwamoto about the interconnectedness of design, communication and culture
By Hugo Macdonald Published
-
Wallpaper* and Cartier’s guide to Miami
By Wallpaper* Published
-
Palace unites with Rapha to celebrate inaugural Tour de France Femmes
Marking the first time women will compete in the historic cycling race since the late 1980s, this new collaboration sees Palace Skateboards and Rapha create uniforms for both on and off the bike – including an ‘outlandish’ pair of Crocs
By Jack Moss Last updated
-
Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022: Chanel to Miu Miu
In this extended report, Wallpaper* updates you live from Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022 shows, with rolling coverage as runway events unfold
By Jack Moss Last updated
-
Scene-stealing runway sets from S/S 2022 womenswear shows
From giant roulette wheels to Olympic diving boards and multi-city synchronized extravaganzas – our pick of the best fashion show sets from S/S 2022 womenswear
By Laura Hawkins Last updated
-
Paris Fashion Week A/W 2021: discotheque chic to apres-ski sleek
By Laura Hawkins Last updated
-
Walk this way: navigating S/S 2021's Paris Fashion Week
How the City of Lights looked to the sartorial realities of our much changed lifestyles
By Laura Hawkins Last updated
-
A decade of fashion show history in pictures
British photographer Jason Lloyd Evans shares his favourite backstage images, from the runway shows of Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Armani, Proenza Schouler, Versace and more
By Jason Lloyd-Evans - Photography Last updated
-
Louis Vuitton A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's
By Laura Hawkins Last updated
-
Chanel A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women’s
By Laura Hawkins Last updated