For the Fall Winter 2023 Women’s Collection, Givenchy investigates a generational sophistication through reconsidered classical compositions. Drawing on instincts integral to the Maison, Artistic Director Matthew M. Williams mirrors the principles of elegance founded by Hubert de Givenchy in the dressing culture of the arts-driven community of women that surrounds him today.
The reflection on a new elegance takes shape in a balance between the new and the old: silhouettes, constructions and styling informed by the past but adapted for the present. Defined by magnified volumes, tailoring cuts a strong shoulder with a softly nipped-in waist achieved without constriction. Black coats developed in the haute couture atelier are crafted in satin, tricotine, cashmere or mohair and sculpted with inverted pleats either at the back or with buttons at the waist. Suit jackets structured in the same silhouette appear with sheer underpinnings only, observing a contemporary evocation of a mini dress.
Layered expressions composed from luxe baggy sweats, delicate jersey tops, cargo pieces, bondage garments, felpa skirts and kilts further demonstrate a new understanding of elegance. One is emblazoned with florals adapted from the archives of Hubert de Givenchy and re-evoked in overdyed lasered nylon. Along with a fish motif, the flower represents a study of imagery – arbitrary or symbolic – that magnetises the contemporary gaze and resonates as glamour. Sourced from the Maison’s archives, the motifs appear in flou expressed in ruched dresses with trains, chainmail dresses, and gowns constructed from bands that twist around the body. Amongst the accents of colour, lavallière dresses in leather or hammered satin retain a balance with the pure.
Evening gowns informed by archival creations are realised in the haute couture ateliers, each a reflection of the self-expression that characterises the dressing culture of a new mentality. Grand chenille pannier dresses are fully embroidered with micro-floral nylon appliqué and a voluminous black triangle tulle dress built on a corset is pleated entirely by hand. A pavé-stitch detail that appears on the shoulders of dresses is echoed in rings, cuffs, ear cuff and oversized pearl necklaces, while flowers are blooming around the neck and the ears with delicate jewels. They appear alongside lighter interpretations of the angular Giv Cut shades crafted in silver, gold and black metal.
The Voyou shoulder bag is proposed in elegant manifestations morphing biker details with slouchy luxury materials: shearlings, cashmere, aged leather, metallic leather, and exotics. A new Party Voyou is scaled down for evening, crafted in satin-nylon and velvet with a chain handle. A new idea of elegance is reinforced through glamorised takes on emblematic bags: the Cut Out is interpreted through a minimalist lens in spazzolato with rounded silhouettes, in evening chainmail versions with the floral and fish prints, and in objet adaptations with solid metal frames, while the signature 4G padlock appears on a new bucket silhouette which adapts the details of the Shark Lock boot in elegant leathers and exotics.
