ITC 3401: Givenchy 08 SS Ready-To-Wear Colour Analysis

Givenchy 08 SS Ready-To-Wear Colour Analysis

Extracted from STYLE.COM:

Riccardo Tisci made real strides with his last ready-to-wear show. There were a number of stylish early adopters in Givenchy numbers straight off that runway in today's front row—always a good way to judge a collection's success. But Spring, as it unfolded, found him up to some of his old tricks, laying on far more detail than his otherwise accomplished tailored suiting pieces and right-for-this-season draped asymmetric dresses could handle.

Going by the knee-high gladiator sandals and utilitarian leather belt bags and fanny packs, not to mention the models' bleached eyebrows, Tisci's theme seemed to be warrior women, a motif he also referenced at his recent couture show. That would explain the large grommets on everything from sturdy blazers to willowy chiffon (it must be said that using such heavy hardware on so delicate a material is pretty impractical, if not plain silly). If those looks reflected his theme, the oversize polka dots on bubble dresses and the shiny black pearls that studded a waistcoat were more of a leap.

The show ended on a high note, though. The designer's unadorned, faintly military jackets, bustiers, and skirts in rugged brown leather revealed that, yes, there is a cool, controlled sense of minimalism lurking underneath all that other stuff. It's a sensibility Tisci should nurture.

Extracted from VOGUE:

HE's five seasons in and, even after a slow start, we've grown to wonder how we ever loved Givenchy without Riccardo Tisci at the helm. In a show that combined the most modern ideas with classic ideals – Maria Carla Boscono opened while a grey haired Kristen McMenamy closed the show – it was the dots that really wowed us. How can something so inherently trivial be so expertly chic, even so dark?

Natalia Vodianova's black chiffon dress fell in degrade to ghostly dots at the skirt, while dusty white circles were held to the body with body con parachute straps. The large dot motif graduated to circular cutouts in the back of a black jersey dress, while frilled pelmets over the hips of brilliantly shaped, angular tailored jackets maintained a mood of strong femininity. Trousers were held up by masculine buckled waistbands but fell into loose jersey by the ankle while zips ripped diagonally across the body to pleated school skirts below.

Utilitarian details mixed with sharp tailoring reflected Tisci's fashion intellect, while jersey T-shirt dresses, chiffon underlayers and pleated blouses meant the military austerity was given a sexy edge. Hard on the outside – with gun holster bags attached to each side of their belt and enlarged rivets taking those dots into the realm of hardcore – these women are very much in touch with their softer side too: tops that draped over one shoulder fell to genie trousers and black and white dotted shades had a quirky appeal – it was seriously beautiful, but Tisci wants us to have fun too. Organ music, collarless brown leather blouses, one sterling tailcoat and dresses embroidered with shiny black baubles made an impressive play for the show of the week.

Colour Distribution: