Givenchy

Japan and the late Kazuo Ohno were inspirations for Riccardo Tisci's latest haute couture collection for Givenchy. Tisici has bid farewell to the haunting, skeletal beauty of his last haute couture collection, for something a little less dark. Ohno is something of a legend, known for his extensive contribution to Butoh dance form. Tisci told style.com that the dancer "provided the romance, the melancholy, and the palette (the color of dried flowers)." Melancholy it is, but it is also quite optimistic in feeling, despite the source of inspiration. The inclusion of bright colors and robotic shapes takes me to Tokyo, a place of endlessly joyful stimulation overload—at least, that is my interpretation,which is highly influenced by Sofia Coppola's. A full cast of Asian models completed the Far Eastern theme. Cartoonish, over-the-top samurai headgear created by Philip Treacy additionally fuels the feverish jubilee. A beautiful crane motif, plenty of sheer fabric, and endless feathers anchor the more flamboyant elements. The collection provides for a wonderful dialogue between tender and aggressive, soft and in-your-face. Also notable is the style.com photos of the collection. Thankfully, the back of each garment was captured as well as the front. Too often they are either unseen or partially caught in runway video. Here it serves to show a more complete beauty of a fantastic couture collection.

Shu Pei Qin


Ming Xi


Tao Okamoto


Hye Park


Fei Fei Sun


Liu Wen


Jiang Xao Yi


Ai Tominaga


So Young Kang


Du Juan




Photos via style.com