Givenchy Spring 2012 Couture

I've always wanted to do a review on Givenchy couture, because for the past couple of seasons, its couture has just been absolutely exquisite and a pleasure to look at.  However, I never ended up making a post because as intricate as Givenchy's couture was, it was the same general look every season.   

Fall 2011 Couture



Spring 2011 Couture



Fall 2010 Couture

You were guaranteed to see sheer skirts, and skeleton-like embroidery.  Beautiful, no doubt, but I didn't want to see "beautiful" get stuck in a rut.  Luckily, Riccardo Tisci has never gone past the line, and the exceptional detailing has continually made each couture collection a success.  But, before Fall 2010, he's demonstrated that he can do more than just sheer skirts and magnificent detailing in his couture shows, and I was happy to see that he reminded us of that with his Spring 2012 Couture collection:

Quite a difference, huh?  Some people might not like the dark, harshness of this collection compared to the previous ethereal, romantic collections, but every designer needs to mix it up once in a while, and right now is Tisci's time.  First, he played around with crocodile skin, but of course, seeing as this is couture, that's not enough.  According to Nicole Phelps at Style.com, "The scales on the hide were individually cut and numbered, then bleached, dyed, and resewn one by one in order onto a tulle body stocking."  A total of 350 hours, ladies and gentlemen.

Next came crystals, my favourite part of the collection.  The draped sleeves on the first white dress are so angelic, and if you really want to get a good look at them, I encourage you go to the link below.  The back of all these creations have just as many surprises as the front.  There was a mix of high and low, with the fanciest overalls you will ever see worn overtop a plain white tank. 

Finally, in the black and white section, the essence of the collection was summed up.  Dark and light.  A haunting, almost off-putting collection (those noserings and earrings still give me goosebumps everytime I look at them), glamorized with breathtaking bits of lightness.  In a completely abstract way that may only make sense in my mind, it was like a piece of text that was first bolded, then italicized.

This was such an escape from Tisci's couture collections as of late.  I genuinely hopes he continues to explore beyond his beloved sheer skeletons...with the occasional visit back.  We could never give up those pieces of art.

See the collection in more detail here.

Image Source: Style.com