PFW: Givenchy goes for hard-edged glamour

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PARIS -- Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci is a poster boy for hard-edged glamour, which would seem a good fit for this season. And I was with him for the sculptural, tailored portion of his show, for the one-sleeved, Goth-looking dresses with sharp shoulders and decorative, asymmetrical folds; the snug jackets with leather sleeves and curving, double layer peplums; even the pants with the half-skirt.

But then lace entered the equation and he started to lose me. He sent out a trio of ivory cream lace dresses with blue crystal epaulettes and cone bras (why?). An even bigger offense was the black horsehair sheath so shaggy and stringy, Cousin It came to mind. It was aggressively weird. There were fishnetted and studded looks too just to further confuse things.

A beautifully draped white jersey cowl-neck top and long, goddess gowns, trimmed with white ropes of covered pearls and white feathers, would have been hits, if not for the extraneous zippers with O-ring pulls.

If only Tisci could exercise some restraint. He doesn’t need to cram every idea into a single collection.

-- Booth Moore

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Photo: Francois Guillot / AFP / Getty Images