The power of Givenchy
MANILA, Philippines - In 1952, Hubert de Givenchy founded the luxury label that in the decades to come would only be known as Givenchy. In those heady days of glamour, Givenchy personally dressed such prim and proper ladies as Audrey Hepburn and the Kennedy women. When he retired in 1995, the reins of Givenchy were handed down to the controversial John Galliano, then the troubled yet talented Alexander McQueen, before finally landing on the elegant yet subversive Riccardo Tisci in 2005.
In the hands of Tisci, gone were the demure, doe-eyed muses of Givenchy in the ‘50s. In their place came a pale Mariacarla Boscono in an impeccably tailored black suit giving the camera an ominous stare. It’s a photograph of a woman who think it’s nonsense to hide behind smiles. Dark, gothic touches are Tisci’s signature, along with space-age minimalism. Other images show supermodels Natalia Vodianova and Naomi Campbell in psychedelically printed skirt suits letting out feral cries as they kneel on top of embroidered floor pillows, as if obeying the immortal line, “I am woman, here me roar!” Even with their mouths gaping and eyes ablaze, these women still manage to be startlingly beautiful.
In Tisci’s world, not only is the Givenchy woman immaculately dressed, but she also runs the world as she sees fit. The sharp lines and hard edges of Givenchy today speak to women who are powerful, daring, seductive and captivating. Should you be afraid? Perhaps. But the more appropriate reaction is to be in awe of them because in the spirit of Givenchy, women not only speak their minds sartorially, but they also know how to convey the right messages. And this spirit lives through all the way until this Christmas.
Givenchy is available only at Adora, 2/F and 3/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City. Tel. No. 217-4029.
