Givenchy

PARIS, October 3, 2007
By Nicole Phelps
Riccardo Tisci made real strides with his last ready-to-wear show. There were a number of stylish early adopters in Givenchy numbers straight off that runway in today's front row—always a good way to judge a collection's success. But Spring, as it unfolded, found him up to some of his old tricks, laying on far more detail than his otherwise accomplished tailored suiting pieces and right-for-this-season draped asymmetric dresses could handle.

Going by the knee-high gladiator sandals and utilitarian leather belt bags and fanny packs, not to mention the models' bleached eyebrows, Tisci's theme seemed to be warrior women, a motif he also referenced at his recent couture show. That would explain the large grommets on everything from sturdy blazers to willowy chiffon (it must be said that using such heavy hardware on so delicate a material is pretty impractical, if not plain silly). If those looks reflected his theme, the oversize polka dots on bubble dresses and the shiny black pearls that studded a waistcoat were more of a leap.

The show ended on a high note, though. The designer's unadorned, faintly military jackets, bustiers, and skirts in rugged brown leather revealed that, yes, there is a cool, controlled sense of minimalism lurking underneath all that other stuff. It's a sensibility Tisci should nurture.