🔗 Share this article

Simultaneously with the pop star Taylor Swift, Sarah Burton stepped into her Showgirl phase. During her second presentation as Givenchy designer, Burton heightened the intensity with collars dripping rhinestones across the collarbone area, rich peach-colored maribou plumes, a compact and striking evening dress in bold crimson leather, and Naomi Campbell in a formal tuxedo coat draped over a barely-there lace trim bra.

A New Identity

Burton's role at Givenchy for a short period, but the longtime associate of Alexander McQueen has swiftly crafted a distinctive character for the brand and for herself. The Givenchy label, the spiritual home of Audrey Hepburn and the classic LBD, has an immaculate bloodline of sophistication that runs from Paris to Hollywood, but it is a smaller player as a business. Earlier creative directors had mostly leaned into urban fashion and utility-coded metallic accents, but Burton is reintroducing the sophistication.

"The goal was to create something erotic and sensual and to reveal the body," Burton said following the presentation. "To strengthen women, we often adopt male-inspired styles, but I wanted to examine female emotional intelligence, and dressing and undressing."

Subtle seduction was evident, too, in a dress shirt in butter soft white leather. "All women vary," Burton commented. "Sometimes when I’m casting, a model tries on a garment and I immediately sense that she is uncomfortable in high heels. Thus, I modify the ensemble."

Return to Glamorous Events

Givenchy is rebuilding its presence in celebrity event attire. Burton has dressed Timothée Chalamet in a pale yellow formal suit at the Oscar ceremony, and model Kaia Gerber in a classic ballerina-style gown of black lace at the Venice film festival.

Schiaparelli’s Surreal Resurgence

The fashion house Schiaparelli, fashion’s house of surrealism, has been experiencing a revival under the American designer Daniel Roseberry. The following year, the V&A Museum will host the inaugural UK Schiaparelli showcase, examining the work of designer Elsa Schiaparelli and the house she founded.

"You don’t buy Schiaparelli, it becomes a collection," Roseberry declared after the show.

Women who wear Schiaparelli don’t need an exhibition to tell them that these clothes are art. Proximity to art is positive for revenue – apparel is priced like fine art, with jackets starting at about £5,000. And revenue, as well as visibility, is on the up. The location of the presentation was the Centre Pompidou in Paris, an additional signal of how intimately this brand is linked to art.

Revisiting Iconic Collaborations

Roseberry revisited one of Elsa’s most famous collaborations with artist Salvador Dalí, the 1938 “Tears” dress which will be in the V&A show. "This centered around returning to the origins of the fashion house," he noted.

The “rips” in the original were carefully rendered, but for the updated version Roseberry shredded the silk crepe itself. In each version, the rips are eerily suggestive of flayed flesh.

Surreal Elements and Menacing Charm

A hint of danger exists at the Schiaparelli house – Elsa described her mannequins, with their sharp shoulders and cinched waists, as her plaything troops – as well as a cheerful embrace of wit. Nail-shaped buttons and gold noses dangling as earrings are the iconic symbolism of the brand. The punchline of this show: faux fur made from paintbrushes.

Avant-garde themes emerge across modern style. Eggshell-inspired heels – navigating delicately, get it? – were highly sought-after at Loewe. Dalí-inspired melting clocks have walked the catwalk at the house of Moschino. But Schiaparelli leads in this area, and Roseberry presides over it.

"Designs by Schiaparelli feature an intense spectacle which captivates everyone present," he expressed. A crimson dress was cut with a geometric insert of flesh-toned mesh that was positioned approximately where briefs are usually located, in a startling illusion of nudity. The tension between wearability and theatre is integral to the presentation.

US Talents Take on Paris

A carousel of creative director launches has brought two darlings of New York to the Parisian scene. The duo Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez have departed from the Proenza Schouler brand they established in 2002 to helm Loewe, the Spain-based leather label that grew into a $1.5 billion powerhouse under the leadership of Jonathan Anderson before his departure to Dior.

The Americans looked delighted to be in Paris, France. Ellsworth Kelly brights brought a joyful pop art sensibility to the in-the-know art smarts for which Loewe has become recognized. Vivid yellow slip-ons dangled their tassels like the fringe of Baker's costume; a red peplum jacket had the confident glossy contours of a condiment vessel. And a cocktail dress masquerading as a fresh-from-the-bath towel, plush as a newly washed cloth, found the perfect balance where innovative design intersects with stylish enjoyment.