GIVENCHY

 Hubert De Givenchy 

“Six-feet-six-inches tall—handsomer than almost any movie star,” (Vogue 1966), the young nobleman Hubert De Givenchy was the embodiment of grace and elegance in the purest form. It was with this kind of air/dignity that a 24 year old Givenchy opened his fashion house in 1952, and that he remained devoted to throughout his career. While Givenchy did introduce several new shapes to fashion, the storied parisian fashion house under the hand of its founder was an austere religion that never veered from its classical roots. 

During Hubert de Givenchy's time, he did indeed bring new concepts and ideas that dazzled his upper crust clients and would pave out future paths in fashion. His debut collection introduced the fresh new concept of couture separates, evening gowns with bodices and skirts that women could mix-and-match (http://www.vogue.com/voguepedia/Hubert_de_Givenchy), including the crisp white Bettina blouse (http://blog.fidmmuseum.org/museum/2013/02/fashion-birthday-hubert-de-givenchy.html). The idea gave a woman more freedom to express her individuality and was a fresh take on the traditional gowns of couture. The collection was highlighted by Vogue magazine as "one of the most news-worthy happenings in Paris this spring." During his golden years in the late 1950s, Givenchy, with inspiration from his Spanish mentor Cristóbal Balenciaga, was also accredited with the design of the sack dress. The dress was formless, waistless and narrowed down significantly at the hem. The design was freeing for a woman from cinches at the waist, and was praised for its air of mystery. Whatever innovation Givenchy brought to the world of fashion, the fundamental spirit behind his clothes remained consistent, and this tradition dominated the fashion house's initial reputation.  

The Givenchy under its founder was completely defined by its ladylike, elegant haute couture designs that catered to the very elite. The fashion house was known for its beautifully crafted, understated day suits and evening dresses that made "anyone from anywhere look like a lady" (fashion critic Hebe Dorsey). Famous for working in a white lab coat, the aristocratic Hubert de Givenchy was a firm believer of quality over quantity, and also believed that the point of his clothes was to make a woman more beautiful. The Givenchy woman was best embodied by the designer's ultimate muse, Audrey Hepburn, whose relationship with the fashion house goes down in history as one of the most notorious designer-muse relationships. Givenchy helped mold the actress' career, and the image of the fashion house those times would be forever linked with Audrey Hepburn. More specifically, the image of Holly Golightly in her black column dress with its distinctive crescent-shaped back, Givenchy's most infamous design. At the time, Vogue commented on their relationship that “what fires his imagination races hers; the message he cuts into cloth she beams to the world with the special wit and stylishness of a great star.” (http://www.vogue.com/voguepedia/Hubert_de_Givenchy) Indeed through that relationship, a very realistic kind of class and elegance was given to people. The glamour of fashion was made to seem more attainable and achievable in a day to day sense. The same traditional spirit that Hubert de Givenchy founded his house on, the couturier followed through with for the four decades of his career. Even as times began to change and his haute couture creations seemed underwhelming and out of touch for critics and consumers, Hubert de Givenchy would staunchly defend his position. The Givenchy of those times, the original Givenchy, was so firmly devoted to a certain identity, that neither the designer himself nor the fashion world would be able to predict the direction that the house would take. 

                                       

After Hubert de Givenchy was pushed to retirement in 1995, the fashion house saw numerous successors: John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Julien MacDonald. Each designer made desperate attempts to keep the brand alive, and yet McQueen's aggressiveness or MacDonald's vulgarity neither maintained Givenchy's spirit nor renewed it. The house fell into a crisis and the fashion world was more confused than anything. It was unclear what these designers were selling and more importantly, who the Givenchy woman had become. And so, when a shy, young Italian with no experience in couture was brought on in 2005, the fashion world was both shocked and eager to see what would come next.

Riccardo Tisci 

The modern, 21st century Givenchy bears so little resemblance to the original, that it seems almost impossible that the two are the same house and share the same name. Riccardo Tisci is the man who did that. When he initially struggled to bridge the gap between himself and the Givenchy clad, white-gloved Audrey Hepburn, he found his solution by essentially severing all ties. He turned his attention onto what he knew how to do, and onto himself, in a plaid shirt and sneakers. Under Tisci's hand, Givenchy turned towards the streets and towards a darkly romantic, gothic/melancholic mood. The Givenchy of today is just as instantly recognizable as the original, albeit in a starkly different way, and fills its own, special niche in the world of fashion. 

 At Givenchy, he turned for inspiration to "the energy, freshness and fast rhythm of the streets", a move perfectly aligned with modern society that led the house of Givenchy to make to its firm mark in the 21st Century. Tisci glamorized typical pieces of streetwear, including bomber jackets and sweatshirts, and the fashion world has never quite been the same. He aided the modern movement of fashion towards a casual, relaxed, sportswear influenced style. Givenchy's infamous Fall 2013 Ready-To-Wear collection earned reviews that began with a simple "Outstanding" from Women's Wear Daily, and a "Just Beautiful." from Style.com. With Anthony Hergarty's "You Are My Sister" in the background as a tribute to Tisci's many sisters and a dim, circular runway, the show "gave you goose bumps" and was Tisci at his most personal and romantic, according to Nicole Phelps of Style.com. The show perfectly encapsulated his darkly romantic twist on street style. "No one is more responsible for fashion's current fixation on the sweatshirt than Tisci", and he showed sweatshirts with his signature, provocative prints, cinched in at the waist, paired with sheer, glittering skirts and snakeskin boots. He takes casual, "everyday" pieces and adds his own unique touch of sensuality and chillingly beautiful moodiness. The designer is renowned for his dark, melancholic and quite frankly gothic designs, which he frequently brings to life through his infamous use of prints. For Resort 2013, Tisci played with gypsyish scarf prints, swirling paisleys with geometric blocks of black and white. The prints were contrasted with capelike looks and simple pieces of jackets and tops that had an architectural sharpness. He has made a name for Givenchy to be associated with certain motifs that he frequently weaves into his collections, including panthers, rottweilers, and shark tooth. Tisci flaunts his play on masculinity and femininity, on casual simplicity and ornamentation. And perhaps most fittingly, his lookbook collections are almost always shot with the average city street as the backdrop, complete with dirty, graffitied walls, trucks, and random pedestrians. Even when Tisci exercises restraint with prints and does something different, his dark sensual take on casual wear is clearly recognizable. His Spring 2014 Ready-To-Wear collection, influenced by a "crash" of Japanese and African culture, showcased a different Givenchy with draped dresses. Yet the casualness of the draping and models gliding out on flat sandals paired with glittering, crystal face masks and a somber atmosphere, Tisci's Givenchy is still very clearly present. 

Fall 2013 Ready-To-Wear

                        

Resort 2013

SS12 ad campaign

Spring 2014 Ready-To-Wear

Clearly, the beginning of Riccardo Tisci's legacy at Givenchy involved an almost complete overturning of the fashion house's past. And of course, this happened not without cries of outrage of what the historic Givenchy had become. Tisci's fondness of streetwear at times brought out complaints that the fashion house that once stood for aristocratic class had turned into a glorified T-shirt company. Yet those who thought streetwear was all Tisci could do had another thing coming for them. The young Italian designer has transformed modern Givenchy to stand out for not only his take on casual wear, but also for exquisite, almost avant-garde haute couture. Indeed, the same man who likes to show sweatshirts on his runways has also demonstrated his capabilities and tendencies toward haute couture of immense artistry and extravagance. He has proven that he shares the skills and the intense vision necessary for haute couture along with many of the greatest couturiers in history. Riccardo Tisci's couture designs are always breath-taking works of art that involve intense, elaborate, and painstakingly detailed embellishments and ornamentations. His Fall 2010 and 2011 couture collections, which he chose to show in intimate presentations to highlight details, were great demonstrations of his elaborate designs and handiwork. In the 2010 presentation, everything was white, flesh-toned or gold, with a salon dedicated to each shade. Tisci showed a dress in Chantilly lace that ended in a cascade of dégradé ostrich feathers, a patchworked leather coat, lace catsuits decorated with a Swarovski crystal skeleton that had been labored over for 1600 hours, and more lace dresses that required over six months to create (http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/F2010CTR-GIVENCHY).

Fall 2010 Couture