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Givenchy: Seventies Paris For Today

There was somewhat of an Yves Saint Laurent moment at the latest Haute Couture show by Givenchy, staged Tuesday evening, Jan. 26, in Paris, a stimulating evocation of modern beauty yet nonetheless one that echoed earlier ideas by the late French master.

The similarity was in part due to the fact that Ricardo Tisci, Givenchy's current couturier, staged the Spring 2010 collection in the same grand ballroom, where so many YSL shows were held. Likewise, the images of this show recalled the legendary 1976 Carmen collection by the late Saint Laurent himself.

Nonetheless, the sense of elegant modernism throughout was impressive, from the opening tuxedo pantsuit, delightfully jazzed up at the waist with ostrich, vulture and nandou feathers, to a sublime bolero in similar feathers, this time in powdery hues. Tisci’s fashion is rarely easy to wear, but the sense of catering to a demanding stylistic elite is at times breathtaking.

Every detail was carefully thought out in his show, right down to the trompe l'oeil minimalist off-white booties. Or even before the show - Tisci’s invitations are miniature works or art in themselves. This season, the latest collector’s item was an hallucinogenic image of goddess’s face, back lit curtains and Pop Art squiggles, capturing the exotic mood of this arty fashion moment.

“Beauty, early '70s Paris, erotica and, of course, Serge Lutens,” said Tisci after the show, referring to the French perfumer and filmmaker, who created the makeup and hair for Vogue shoots by photographers as esteemed as Richard Avedon, Bob Richardson and Irving Penn.

There was certainly a touch of Lutens dark olfactory imagery, which one can see in the “Les Salons du Palais Royal” perfume house he created in that historic Paris complex.

This is the designer who very much attracts the right crowd, from every A-list editor and buyer in fashion, to a cool blend of quirky French beauties – like Joanna Preiss and Lou Doillon – to American celebrities, from Kanye West to Texas born singer Ciara, who later sang at the post-show dinner.

Tisci, whose aesthetic influences generally include religion, the Renaissance of his native Italy and brooding Gothic, has always tended towards dark splendor. That was apparent in this collection, especially in two of the best looks, an emerald green, head-turning column worn by Polish model Magdalena Frackowiak, where sequins and beads fought for real estate, and a voluptuous bustier dress in violet and black that seemed to have an undulating life of its own, in the final passage of the show by Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova.

Operatic, opulent and over-the-top, this was a not to be missed moment in modern couture.

* Paris Couture: Cio-Cio-san Dior		* Christian Siriano’s Global Reach * Christian Siriano Spring 2011 Fashion Show, NY: FR, BS