As darkness fell on another packed day in Paris, Givenchy Creative Director Riccardo Tisci raced to the top of the class like a bat out of hell with his seventh season at the helm of the house’s menswear division.
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Men in lights were scattered around the eaves of the Givenchy marquee, positioned in front of Paris’s Pavillon des Invalides, promising a spectacle from the get-go and as ever, Riccardo didn’t disappoint. As the audience quietened, the backdrop to the catwalk was bathed in red light, the Satanic tone was set. Fresh faced and hair combed back, the nose of each model came adorned with an extravagant bull ring, the army of modern Givenchy Minotaurs marched the runway. Menacing, red and black stripes made an appearance and the stars featured in previous Tisci collections returned, combining to create quite the homage to the American flag. Backstage Tisci explained to i-D, “the collection was like my ‘American Dream’, the Minotaur was my obsession when I was a little by so combine the two things and this is what I came-up with.” Suiting kept to the black and red palette, jackets were double-breasted and as ever the Givenchy t-shirt reigned supreme. Leggings and kilted thighs also returned from the Tisci stable of signature looks. Looks in brown and powder blue punctuated the red and black pieces, making the collection more subtle in parts, but the top-to-toe red suit/shirt/shoe combination made sure the ritualistic Satanic bull image remained at the forefront. As ever the casting was key, with many of Tisci’s favourite faces returning and with i-D’s The Winter Warm Up Issue cover gal Joan Smalls slipping into the mix, he also presented a female edge to the collection. In doing so, attention was drawn to the feminine aspects of the pieces and the success of Tisci’s gender bending! All in all a cracking collection of modern Givenchy classics given one hell of a twist!
Text: Sean Baker
Photography: Mitchell Sams
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