There’s something hazy about the first year of a designer in a new maison. For what’s supposed to be an introduction to a new creative vision, it's more about creating a limbo between what has been and what will be. Of course, Sarah Burton’s first two collections at Givenchy didn’t necessarily abide by such limitations. In them, she presented a crystal clear rendition of what the house can be.
First and foremost, it's a brand for women by women. Diversity issues in the fashion industry are well-known and extensively documented. It’s not surprising then that the initial enthusiasm around Burton’s announcement has been kept alive. The British designer creates clothes, worlds that centre women over female fantasy. Comfort is never made into a sacrificial lamb for an aesthetic ideal.
Fall/Winter 2026 summons the codes the maison has acquired over its 74-year history. Ballooned leather gloves were reminiscent of the iconic (and we don’t use the term lightly, god knows everyone else does) Bettina blouse, their folds emulating its characteristic ruffles. The shark boot, introduced by the then-creative director Riccardo Tisci in 2012, was expanded into a thigh-high iteration, its columnar leather complementing the most structured of looks.
The thirteen years Burton spent as creative director at Alexander McQueen are proof of two things: a) she’s an expert at slowly, respectfully building out a legacy, and b) she’s a master tailor. Here, she flexed her range. Sculptural pieces jolted peplums crisply, tightening around the neck in impeccable collars. Pinstriped suits swayed closer to a classic masculine feel—here they found their muse in writer Constance Debré, in a buzzcut and a sharp ear cuff.
Jewellery was used to its highest potential. Burton understands its role beyond mere accessorization. Cue the distinctive tops from her debut that hung massive crystals off the body, seemingly like magic. The idea is recalibrated this season in a massive necklace that sheds the illusion. A similar development is made with the backwards suiting, here seemingly informing wonderfully structured suits whose protruding collar emulates that of a popped collar turned around. If a designer’s first year is meant to exist in a haze, Burton’s is, much like her tailoring, razor sharp.
Words by Pedro Vasconcelos
