“I really wanted to create a synthesis of powerful, sophisticated femininity, with an interplay of multiple American and Parisian influences, sports and craftsmanship,” wrote Matthew Williams, Creative Director of Givenchy, in the shownotes of the Fall 2022 show. “Next to her stands a contemporary man with an instinct for chic nonchalance. On the runway, both are grounded by a sense of reality.”
It is clear from the outset of the show that Williams’ intentions carry through in the collection, with the house applying the sensibility of an haute couture atelier to everyday garments and silhouettes; it is an elevation of ordinary to extraordinary, while ensuring pieces are functional for daily wear.
Silhouettes are ornamental, structural shapes interpolated with practicality and easefulness, conveying Williams’ signature of blending luxury with utility, evident across the men’s and women’s garments walked. Ruffle-hem skirts are eloquently paired with tailored blazers, wide leather trousers with balaclavas and cropped t-shirts, all a nod to the versatility of the collection and a fusion of Parisian design with contemporary American aesthetics.
Givenchy’s classicism and radicalism are intertwined, playing on layered volumes and textures exploring an elevation of everyday fabrics; washed jersey is explored with refreshing, intricate layering where graphic experimentation and 4D printed embroidery come to fruition. Yet at the same time, this attitude is juxtaposed through the employment of classical tailoring, structured blazers and voluminous overcoats. Garments are united by their silhouette, either long line or short, to cultivate a cohesion with the contrasting fabrications and shapes. There is an inherent emphasis on movement, seen through cascading ruffles, hand-smocking and pleats.
In homage to the late founder of the house, elements from the haute couture archive of Hubert de Givenchy permeate the collection, reimagined for 2022. Hardware becomes jewellery, pearls become studs, encompassing studded utilitarian statements alongside hand-beaded embellishments. A reworked ocelot print from 1955 is also drawn from the Givenchy archives, applied in an over-dyed fashion to masculine outerwear.
Signature Givenchy stretch boots, the New Hobo bag and the latest iterations of the Kenny and 4G bags provide a guiding structure to the collection, themselves also the subject of new proportions and finishes. There is a synthesis of old and new, experimental and established, woven throughout the Fall 2022 collection in a display of Givenchy embracing the everyday, without vindicating their haute couture spirit.
