It’s a bright morning in Paris. Sunlight streams through Givenchy’s Avenue George V headquarters, and while that might be exciting enough for a Londoner, the glee in the room has little to do with the weather. The crowd has gathered to witness Sarah Burton’s debut at the maison. As one of the most adored designers in the industry—responsible for carrying forward Lee McQueen’s legacy for the past decade—she has, in a way, followed in his footsteps. Of course, this is a different Givenchy than the one McQueen stepped into over twenty years ago. In the past decade, the house’s image has been muddled by the egos and personal styles of successive creative directors. Cue Sarah Burton, expected to turn the tide.
Following the theme of "work in progress," Burton found a way to ease expectations—a welcome reminder that patience is a virtue in this industry. Not that much was needed; the collection was a strong start. Tailoring, Burton’s sharpest tool, was on full display. It wasn’t just in the structured coats and rounded, voluminous shoulders. Jackets were chic from the front, with an elegant collar that sat above the model’s collarbones, only to reveal— as they walked by— that they were reversed. Draping on long dresses and bodysuits gathered beautifully at the neck, creating soft volume.
Online, people are celebrating the joy of women designing for women. And while Burton’s appointment speaks to the fact that women hold just 12% of creative director roles in the industry, the praise is also a testament to her construction. Sculpted silhouettes were crafted with comfort in mind, never compromising the wearer.
Backstage, Burton spoke of the similarities between her debut and the maison’s first collection. And while parallels with Hubert de Givenchy’s work were everywhere—leather Bettina shirts and sculptural dresses were hard to miss—it was the embodiment of his humour that felt most refreshing, with the makeup dress and jeweled top nodding to Mr. Givenchy’s campy printed gowns.
Words by Pedro Vasconcelos
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