Every designer is a mash-up artist, but Riccardo Tisci relishes the mix more than most. Africa. Gustav Klimt. Bauhaus. They all came together in his bold new Pre-Fall lineup for Givenchy—Africa in the primary color scheme, Klimt in the mosaic prints, and Bauhaus in the geometric color-blocking, not only on trouser legs and the hem of a tailored jacket, but also on a fantastic feather chubby, its plumes exactingly sheared to accentuate its graphic lines.
Tisci sees the pre-seasons as a time to reinvent past successes, so there was the Perfecto from last Fall, done here in trompe l'oeil style on a wool coat, or shown on its own in a bright mosaic print. Spring's halter gowns also got a refresh; the best came in a butterscotch-colored plissé leather with a knit bodysuit underneath. A cherry-red sequined cocktail dress that draped across the torso was likewise reminiscent of his recent runway show. But Tisci looked forward, too.
He's had a personal fixation with polo shirts since he was a teenager, and they made their first appearance in a Givenchy women's collection today. Tucked into the cutout waistbands of long full skirts worn with flat men's shoes, their boxy, oversize shapes were all but camouflaged. He hinted that we'd be seeing more of them in his men's show later this month.
