Is Givenchy’s designer trying to be all things to all women? Clare Waight Keller has given the famous couture house a dizzying lift, with Meghan, the new Duchess of Sussex, as her muse and client. That famous wedding dress brought back to Givenchy the fashion interest that the house had claimed under Riccardo Tisci, as well as the social acceptance that Hubert de Givenchy had originally built.https://www.instagram.com/p/Buj9o0tByGY/?utm_source=ig_embedBut somehow, the magic that Waight Keller had brought to her speedy, head-held-high models in their useful workwear or glamour outfits just missed this Autumn/Winter season.
Maybe it was the long corridor of a runway inside a skinny tent that took away the old-school elegance that the designer had previously created in grand Parisian buildings. Perhaps it was the Daft Punk music that seemed like a desperate plea for cool credentials. Or maybe things were the other way around.
That affinity should have been felt in tailored trouser suits and coats with sharp shoulders that have been seen at all the strong Paris collections. But that side of the show was dulled by a desire to produce ladylike floral dresses that looked destined for a different kind of woman – probably one married to a Prince Charming and obliged to dress up like a ‘lady’ for overseas social events.
