Givenchy Spring 2012

The oversize shark-tooth pendants and use of eel skin and sea wolf (a dappled, exotic fish skin) were the most overt pointers to his watery theme. In fact, the imagery in this show was only used in an allusive way. Call it a sea change: The approach was less about the cool, street-inspired T-shirts and sweatshirts for young insiders than casting the net wider to catch grown women who are in the market for tailored, quite dressy, looks and a subtle, optimistic use of color.    
Shell-pink was the color vehicle Tisci used at the outset to reinvigorate the silhouette—a combination of jackets, skintight leggings, and buttoned-up shirts, the last nailing an unrevealing, slightly boyish point of style we’ve been watching on the stealthy rise all season. Should you look hard at the curvy lapels, their low-slung shapes might bear some relationship to the dorsal fins of sea creatures, while the shiny reverse side of some black tuxedo suits was covered with eel skin.
Still, for all its potential fierceness, the overall impression was balanced with a femininity that came from the play of softly fluted volumes in peplumed jackets and intricately pieced dresses made of white lace and chiffon. Somewhere in here, there are plenty of outfits to be fished out by women in need of formal attire for summer weddings. And, though the hipsters might mourn the absence of last season’s ornately casual tops, there’s a glittering catch for those who want to push the boat out in head-to-toe silver sequins.
Here endeth the puns. The underlying message about Tisci’s shift with this collection is that it nudges Givenchy nearer to its Parisian couture heritage. And having Natalia and Gisele in the house in outclassed the “outside” modeling by miles.by Sarah Mower






                                                    LoVe,   Alida