For the fashion crowd – and particularly the women that make up the industry – Sarah Burton’s AW25 Givenchy debut was an important moment. Besides demonstrating that she understood the Givenchy DNA, the show proved how much women’s voices matter within the industry, as Burton, who is currently one of the only women at the head of luxury fashion brands, showcased her understanding of how women actually want to dress. “I want to address everything about modern women,” the designer wrote in her AW25 show notes. “Strength, vulnerability, emotional intelligence, feeling powerful or very sexy – all of it.” 

Now – revealing her sophomore collection before a front row packed with some of the biggest women in music, fashion, and entertainment – Burton called upon the powerful, feminist themes from her debut. This time, however, she dialled into the way women “undress” too, with peeled-back and deconstructed tailoring, dramatic, slipped on duvet-like gowns, and barely-there dresses. Read on for everything you missed from Burton’s SS26 Givenchy show below.

THE INVITE HINTED AT THE “UNDRESSING” TO COME

Ahead of her Givenchy debut last season, Burton’s show invitation gave guests a small tease of what lies ahead at the French fashion house. The simple brown paper packets tacked with guests’ names on with a dress pin – referencing old folders containing patterns for Hubert de Givenchy’s debut designs – signalled Burton’s sharp focus on pattern-cutting, craftsmanship, and brand history which ran through her first collection. Similarly, arriving at guests’ doors just days before her sophomore show was a white box with a cream-coloured, Givenchy-emblazoned portfolio, thin tissue paper, and a set of gold keys on red shoelaces tucked inside. Notably, as captured by photographer Anaïck Lejart for the brand, a single thread hangs loose from the portfolio – perhaps hinting at the collection’s exploration of undressing.

GUESTS SAT ON STACKS OF WHITE ENVELOPES

Guests funnelled inside Paris’ Hotel des Invalides, a venue known for hosting historic fashion shows – from Hedi Slimane’s debut at Celine, to Jonathan Anderson’s debut at Dior in June. First opened in 1674, the landmark was initially used as a hospice for veterans, but has also been a convent, hospital and factory. Today, it was the location for Burton’s sophomore Givenchy show, having shown her debut inside the brand’s historic salon in March. Similarly to last season, upon entering, arrivals discovered that their seats were made from stacks of white envelopes – referencing Hubert de Givenchy’s forgotten patterns from 1952, that were rediscovered shortly before Burton’s debut show. 

SOME OF THE BIGGEST WOMEN IN POP CULTURE GATHERED IN THE FROW

As per usual, Givenchy rounded up an exclusive group of A-listers to sit atop its stacked packages. Gathering in the front row, K-pop star Joshua Hong of SEVENTEEN gave Dazed a quick fit-check before the show started, while Jenna Ortega filed in wearing a sheer, crimson-red gown pulled straight from the new collection. Elsewhere, Cynthia Erivo showed up in a high-shouldered and corseted backwards suit jacket from Burton’s debut, Raye arrived in a black netted dress similar to those shown throughout the runway, and Rooney Mara posed for Givenchy’s cameras in a drop-waist, lace mini-dress that puffed up in the back as if someone could have been hiding beneath the skirt. Plus, acting legends like Charlize Theron and Gwendoline Christie both wore twists on classic tailoring, both accessorised with chains of silver jewels that appeared across Burton’s SS26 offering.

THE COLLECTION EXPLORED HOW WOMEN “DRESS AND UNDRESS” 

As the lights went down, The Clash’s “Straight to Hell” boomed through the speakers and the first look appeared – a little black dress, simple, structured and spaghetti-strapped, styled with a pair of ballet flats. According to the show notes, Burton’s intention was to “explore the strengths of women through feminine archetypes,” ranging from crisp tailoring, to girlish, ballerina silhouettes. “It started with peeling back the structure of tailoring to reveal the skin and a sense of lightness and ease – and then exploring the female vocabulary of dress and undress,” continued the show notes. Continuing from last season, she made her love for a deconstructed suit even clearer. A double-breasted suit jacket worn backwards and as a dress? Check. A dramatically oversized white shirt worn as a full-length gown? Check. Tailored trousers worn with only a bra? Check again. 

AN ARMY OF A-LISTERS AND TOP MODELS WALKED THE RUNWAY

While the show was hosted inside Paris’ hub of military history, the greatest weapon in Burton’s arsenal was her casting – enlisting super models of the past, present and future to bring her vision to life. The booked and busiest girls of the season – Alex Consani, Mona Tougaard and Loli Bahia – all walked, as did modern muses Vittoria Ceretti, Mariacarla Boscono and Kaia Gerber, who closed the show. There were the faces of tomorrow, like rising star Emeline Hoareau who also walked in Burton’s debut, as well as OG supers Eva Herzigová, Liu Wen and Naomi Campbell. While Oscar winners and nominees lined the front row, the line-up backstage may as well have been fashion’s Academy Awards.

Scroll through the gallery above for the entire SS26 collection