PARIS (AP) — Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci opened the doors of his cabinet of curiosity on Tuesday, in what was surely the most imaginative fashion presentation in Paris's haute couture week.
Giant art-deco crystal earrings were shown alongside studded leather jackets and 1930s nubuck crocodile skin dresses.
Pieces were presented on mannequins in 18th-century showrooms, just like the historic artifacts in the Louvre museum — a stone’s throw from the Givenchy salons in central Paris.
The fashion crowd — so used to the frenetic catwalk — relished the opportunity to study the pieces.
It was a Riccardo Tisci of contradictions, mixing up high and low fashion. A black crocodile biker jacket with embellishments sat on top of intricately beaded organza.
A scooped-front jeweled cocktail dress channeled the 1930s, but was mixed with a dark sporty undergarment.
One floor-length dress looked conventional enough, until it was opened to reveal studs all over the inside. It has apparently become the most-wanted piece of the collection.
The show felt highly original, but if you looked carefully enough the signature-Tisci details were all there: stars, studs and zippers — though here, fixed on garments of light, floaty organza.
Some fashionistas looked bewildered as one tour guide made reference to techno music, Russian sci-fi and Fritz Lang’s iconic film Metropolis.
Givenchy’s haute couture second-in-command, Alessandro Sellaretti, offered to shed some light: "All these ideas may seem very different and confusing, but Riccardo Tisci just takes them to create his own personal world, and here we have invited you for the evening to take a look into the unique universe of Givenchy."
