Roughly 24 hours before releasing its Pre-Fall collection images, Givenchy posted a video on Instagram that offered a few whiplash glimpses of Riccardo Tisci’s latest offering. Against the seductively sullen backdrop of Berlin, a subset of his recurring gang (Irina Shayk, Deion Smith, Leila Goldkuhl, Kris Gottschalk, John Kolic) appeared, united by an intimidating sense of style and director Matt Lambert’s skittish cutaways.
In the spacious Avenue Montaigne showroom, meanwhile, the vibe was far calmer; here, the winter sun acted as a spotlight, singling out such pieces as a white lace-encrusted sheath, a sheer black tube skirt that nodded backward to Fall 2012, and—holy hue!—a fuchsia silk camisole-skirt combo. This wasn’t the only disruption to the binary black and white that ruled the Spring collection; pink sequins and gold thread formed a swirling floral motif on a nylon bomber, embroidered pansies burst forth from a black cardigan, and a motif of red flowers on silk chiffon seemed caught in motion blur. Also noteworthy: the return of a Givenchy monogram introduced in the last men’s collection; have fun finding the brand letters interspersed between stars, like a word search puzzle. It’s a graphic with staying power, whether as a knit or an embossed bag.
The same could be said for most of the collection, which eschewed street style shock value for nuanced confidence. Pajama suiting, an oversize striped mohair cape, a shawl-collared camel coat, leather paneled jeans, and double-stacked platform loafers capitalized on the classic without being basic. Double-faced pleated jersey and smocked leather and lace went even further. None of these details—certainly not the cosmic sequined and Swarovski-studded caftan over a vintage-inspired gown—would register in an Instagram video. But props to the sharply edited urban bohemians for setting the scene.
