It was the stunning Bibliothèque nationale de France (complete with two giant circular mirrors) which set the stage for Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci’s AW17 men’s show last night in Paris, which featured bright colours, bold graphics and an all-star cast. Here’s what you missed.
THE INVITE HAD AN ICONIC ANJELICA HUSTON IMAGE ON IT
The invitation for Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci’s AW17 men’s show featuring Anjelica Huston in Givenchyvia @givenchy
This season’s poster-style invite featured a truly ironic subject-photographer pairing: Anjelica Huston by Helmut Newton. The black and white 1971 image shows her striding down the street in a Givenchy dress, the flash bulb creating an eerie white-eyed glare. To Tisci, it’s a jewel in the crown of the house’s visual archive. “I have to be honest with you, it’s (been) so long that we have tried so long to get the rights of these pictures!” he explained backstage. “I’m obsessed.”
THERE WAS A MINUTE OF SILENCE FOR FRANCA SOZZANI
Before the show began, the lights went out and a voiceover announced a moment of silence for the late Vogue Italia editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani, who sadly passed away in late December aged just 66. Sozzani and Tisci had a long history, with the designer paying tribute to her on Instagram shortly after her death. “My dear friend Franca, you were one of my very first supporters and I honour your memory today and every day to come,” he wrote. “You will always stay in my heart.” It was a moment of reflection on the life of a true pioneer.
THE COLLECTION INTERPRETED THE AMERICAN WEST
Backstage at Givenchy AW17Photography Lucie Rox
With stars, stripes, classic checks and totem poles, Tisci described the collection as “Seeing Western America with the eyes of a child.” Well, not just any kid, he joked – “It was the child that's in me, that didn't grow up.” Indeed, there was something youthful in the playful layering of the collection, the giant buttons and toggles that adorned coats and jackets, and the colourful graphic faces covering jumpers, which felt reminiscent of beloved pyjama tops from childhood.
ALL THE GIVENCHY GIRLS WERE OUT IN COUTURE
Backstage at Givenchy AW17Photography Lucie Rox
Continuing the tradition of showing his womenswear couture collection with the men’s ready to wear, Tisci muse Mariacarla Boscono led a troupe of supermodels around the library perimeter. In exquisitely crafted gowns (some of which continued the cowboy check pattern), the likes of Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Yasmin Wijnaldum and Joan Smalls took their turns on the runway. Each wore an elastic across the backs of their heads, which, thanks to two squares of black tape, pulled their faces into strangely ethereal new proportions.
TISCI WAS FEELING POSITIVE
Backstage at Givenchy AW17Photography Lucie Rox
Admitting the collection was a fun one for him to work on thanks to its risk taking and proportion play, Tisci said that after nine years and a lot of signature darkness, he was on a lighter streak. “I wanted to give a much more positive message and see things in a positive way for the future,” he said, discussing fashion as a “communicative tool”. Of course, on a day like yesterday the world needs all the positivity it can get.
