At the time of his Spring ’16 Givenchy show in New York, Riccardo Tisci said the event marked an ending, putting a cap on his first 10 years at the house. That made his Fall show tonight a new beginning of sorts. Why not turn to Egypt, the cradle of civilization? The Carreau du Temple, home of Tisci’s earliest shows for Givenchy when he was still an unknown, was transformed into a wooden maze for the occasion—not unlike inside the pyramids, Tisci pointed out afterward. The maze narrowed the audience’s field of vision; there were the people across from you and the models on the runway, but none of the celebrity watching and other distractions of a typical show. Somewhere around a corner were Bradley Cooper, Kanye West, Kris Jenner, and Ciara.
It was a novel, clever touch, and there was plenty to take in. Tisci traded the romance and simplicity of last season’s lingerie and tailoring for psychedelia and mysticism. Mandalas decorated blouses and dresses with exposed backs, and the Eye of Horus and other Egyptian iconography appeared on engineered print frocks. And that was just the print side of the story. Tisci also explored military tailoring, pairing his generously cut officer’s coats and jackets not with pants but with shorts and trompe l’oeil pumps–slash–knee boots. He trotted out leopard spots and python skin. The studding that was so prevalent at his men’s show in January reappeared here in a more minor key. And he also did some fabulous little metallic leather jackets pieced together to look like bird wings.
Icarus? That’s Greek mythology, not Egyptian, but as a refresher, he was the son of Daedalus, the creator of the Labyrinth; against Dad’s advice, Icarus flew too close to the sun and fell into the sea. Death by hubris. Leaving the symbolism aside—always a safe bet—this was a familiar Givenchy collection, less a new beginning than a reworking of many of the signatures on which Tisci rose to fame. In that light, the pair of little black dresses with fur trimming on the collar and/or the short sleeves that looked less like Riccardo Tisci and more like Hubert de Givenchy were a happy surprise.