Givenchy Mens Spring 2013 Review

Riccardo Tisci’s last menswear collection for Givenchy was a nice distillation of everything he does well. The heavy sports influences were a nice contrast to the suit trend that was seen in so many other collections (most notably Prada). It would seem that Tisci may have been swayed by his peers as he has turned his focus to suits for spring. Single, double-breasted, sleeveless, satin, long, short. There were all types of suit jackets but they all retained a slightly boxy shape that was paired with a slim pant and many that had sheer draped shells floating underneath.

There was something very early 2000’s about some of the shapes and prints. I felt like there were some strong Ann Demeulemeester vibes with the draping, layering, and the use of black and white. The footwear was marvellous. I never imagined I’d want to own Teva-style sandals with thick gold chains but there you go.

My major criticism is that it was bloated and repetitive. The collection had a whopping 65 looks which could easily have been halved. I felt like I’d taken away so little from the collection which is ironic considering there was so much to look at.

Givenchy Men's Fall 2012 Review

The men's shows have come to an end and pre-fall collections are STILL trickling in and couture week is just around the corner. I don't normally review men's shows because I don't keep as close an eye on them as I do the women's shows. This probably explains why I dress so awfully.

The main take away from the men's shows would have to be the suit which I find odd because so few men wear suits seriously or in a way that designers would like them to. Everybody blew their load over Prada's take on power dressing and Givenchy's steady evolution of dark aggressive sexuality. What interests me most about Givenchy is that Riccardo Tisci has founded a look that is all his own and people want to buy it which I think is extraordinary for a luxury menswear brand. I find with most men's collections I see things here and there that I like but they don't equate to any brand or designer identity. You could show me a Gucci jacket and one by Hermes and I would fail to see any distinction. But with Givenchy there's the digital prints, the star motif traced from shoulder to shoulder, or the loose sportswear shapes.  It may not be the most innovative or the most radical clothing but the collections are selling out and I think it's thanks to the casual, sports elements he adds. If Tisci has found a winning formula-and he clearly has-why are so many other designers heralding the return of the suit?

Givenchy Spring Summer 2012 Review

The theme for Givenchy's latest collection was-according to head designer Riccardo Tisci-about a surfer who falls in love with a mermaid. For someone who usually does dark, romantic and gothic clothes I was thrown off a bit. I guess he's taking a mental vacation and lightening up a bit. 

Though this collection is beautiful it failed to spark interest. There was a strong focus on tailoring but many of the clothes were too rigid and looked like they belonged on mannequins rather than models or real people. Some of the shapes, like rippling waves of fabric overwhelmed the models and splayed out at odd and unflattering angles. Unflattering would have to be the major fault of this show due the the wide cuts used on so many looks. The worst look was on Fei Fei Sun, a silver sequined get-up that made her look bigger than she is. 

Givenchy Spring Summer 2011

Layers, layers, layers. I love it

This is a nice continuation from the last couture collection

Hey daddy bear

I don’t feel this was his best work but it was still a beautifully gothic spring collection.
I think the collection could’ve done without the gay bondage touches, the press studs and the sports mesh. It looked outdated and felt more like a reflection of his taste in men rather than fashion.
The zippers were a nice touch and a continuation of what was shown for the couture show but it became tedious after the first ten looks and I also promised myself to put any designer on my strike list who did exposed zippers for Spring. I love how he used the zips to reposition the waist, dropping it ever so slightly making a languid silhouette.
The layering was also beautifully done, particularly on the opening look.

Catholic-free Givenchy

Givenchy didn’t capture my imagination this season. Like his last couture collection it lacked polish and it felt very cookie cutter Tisci. All the ingredients were there: lace, single blocks of colour for an entire outfit, loads of black and leather. But there were a few nice touches like the opening coat in a boney beige tone. There were also some beautiful tuxedo jackets and there’s been quite a few this season, United Bamboo comes to mind. I did find the layering theme interesting. If you view some of the looks you’ll see what I mean. And how weird is it that Tisci and Ghesquiere did a remarkably similar pant. They both did a high waisted version with a zip that was half undone to create these curling flaps. I didn’t find it particularly inventive but it was a nice touch and in Tisci’s case added to the layering theme he had.

I’d like to see Tisci try and move away from his usual schtick, perhaps do a tracksuit or something remotely humorous. He’s taken some steps, like removing any traces of Catholocism but it’s like come one, push yourself further, stop being so comfortable.

Givenchy Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2010 Review

Upon first looking at Ricardo Tisci's spring couture collection for Givenchy I was disappointed. I whipped up a review almost imediately after viewing it but left it and went to work. I mulled over it during the day and looked over it again and I take back most of what I said.
Initially it mostly failed to muster any drama, a key element to Tisci's work. Something was missing. If you look at his 2010 pre-fall collection it's a shining example of what he does best; sharp brooding meets soft romanticism. It's in all his work and many of his trademarks were in this collection: the graphic lacework, the military coat, the organic coral-like embellishment and the nude tones. What he failed to do was whip it into shape and really make the whole collection sing.
What I'd missed the first time round was Tisci delving into the archives and looking back at the 70's. He admitted it was something he'd always been too afraid to do. It seems rather stupid that I'd missed the references to the 70's and Saint Laurent but Tisci's never done this before.

Some of the looks were too busy and the clothes were jostling for attention weighed down with extravagant beads and pailettes then topped off with wide lace hats.

I've studied look two repeatedly as if maybe I'd missed something but I cannot make sense of it. A black satin corset skirt with puckering seams, a cut-out bra which appeared to be clamping the model's breasts making them look short and saggy, a tulle net top and a grim looking hat. Maybe it was shot from a bad angle? Maybe it was just fucking ugly.

Above: Hideous you guys!

Lara Stone looked soigne in a fluffy pink bowed top with cuffed shorts and thigh-hugging suede boots. Other standouts included a gorgeous top with ruffles peeling away from the decolletage. The ruffles also appeared in a black feather-trimmed dress arching out from the elbows displaying Tisci's knack for silhouette.

Despite the mis-steps some of these clothes are truly special and I have huge respect for Tisci and the vision he brings to haute couture.

GIVENCHY SPRING 2010

Riccardo Tisci, head designer of Givenchy is a die-hard romantic and for spring he made a clean collection that included all his trademarks. Black and white striped jackets opened the show atop black jodhpurs. There were jumpsuits with a spare cut, also in black. Lapels on jackets had a contrasting colour which added to the triangular motif that was also present in the hem of some tops.
Crunchy pleats and decadent ruffles worked their magic over baby-doll dresses while a tribal-like print appeared on tops, leggings, shoes, everything. Saying it was tribal is a fairly blunt description, just because it’s black and white and zig-zagged it’s suddenly tribal. It’s closest relative would be the keffiyeh, a Tisci favourite that’s appeared in his couture and menswear collections.
After cleansing the palette Tisci did some beautiful, organic waistcoats that looked like ocean rocks covered in limpets followed by a series of loopy, draped dresses in dove grey and pale yellow. A leather wrapped open-toe platform was too reminiscent of an Alexander Wang shoe and an extremely unflattering jodhpur/babydoll combo made even the models look pregnant. As beautiful as the collection was, it’d be nice to see Tisci push himself a little more.