Riccardo Tisci described his spring couture collection, shown alongside his fall men’s line, as an ode to the American West, as seen through a child’s eyes.
“I did it my own way: graphic and pop and much more ironic and fun, which is what I see a future for — things that are more positive and more light,” he said. “For couture, it’s basically the same theme, but mixed with all these fantastic images I found of these Western American ladies who were in Victorian clothes.”
He opened with a series of upscale takes on prairie dresses in plaid-patterned chiffon that was slit to expose the shoulders or back. Kendall Jenner, her hair parted in the center, wore a blue version with a high ruched collar – her bare elbows singled out as the outfit’s only erogenous zone.
A white patchwork lace dress brought to mind the virginal schoolgirls in “Picnic at Hanging Rock” – though it came with pearl studs around the hips and metal rings threaded through the sleeves, which gave it an ambiguous edge.
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Tisci nodded to Annie Oakley with a dashing black suede jacket with leather trimmings and fringes, paired with bootcut black leather pants. He channeled Mae West with his closing look: a risqué lace bodysuit topped with a sheer slip dress covered in breathtaking 3-D embroidery and delicate feathers.
The designer conceived the 15 looks like a retrospective. “I did the 15 techniques that really represent my time, my era, my journey at Givenchy,” he said. With rumors swirling that Tisci might be saying “Hi-Yo, Silver!” and heading over to Versace, his comments had a nostalgic tinge.
But as this confident lineup proved, Tisci has already conquered red carpet territory.