September 30, 2019 |
The clue to the big story for Givenchy’s Clare Waight Kellerwas on the invitation: a swatch of frayed denim. The designer’s SS20 collection featured several pieces in upcycled denim. Denim hot pants tailored coats, boyfriend jeans and maxi skirts brought a grounded reality to this show and a sense of the individual. When they reach the shops, each patched-together piece will be different from the next. The designer explained that her intention was to bring a sustainable element to the collection and she pointed out that the jeans are all 1990s vintage. She drew heavily on memories of that time when she was in New York, working with Calvin Klein, in his Kate Moss Obsession-era pomp. The collection was called NY Paris 1993 and the designer pitched it as a conversation between Klein’s sophisticated minimalism which set the tone for that era and Parisian couture.
Waight Keller channeled Klein wirh long lean jackets worn with bermudas and flat sandals. Kaia Gerber walked in a ballet pink satin bra top and black leather pencil skirt as a stripped down alternative to classic evening wear. Those cool, pared back moments were interspersed with feminine blouses and gentle plisse skirts and dresses (Waight Keller is the mistress of flou, after her years at Chloé). A series of 3D-floral lace gowns put the couture house stamp on this show. This is sophisticated dressing done with the lightest touch.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans.
