Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci showed what was perhaps his most impactful couture show to date. For Spring 2011, the designer presented a crisp ten piece collection inspired by Japanese Butoh dancer Kazuo Ohno. Using only Asian models, each of the garments was as stunningly ornate from the front as they were from the back. Many of the looks were complemented by Philip Treacy‘s elaborately handmade headpieces, an oddball touch that, while arguably unnecessary, tied into Tisci’s fascination with Japanese robot toys.
The lightness in the designer’s heavily worked garments, some of which took thousands of hours to create, was awe-inspiring. Pops of bright colors on the backs of each dress were the perfect touch to bring life to these richly fabricated floor-sweeping gowns. Though the amount of elaborate details on each of the garments was certainly in line with Tisci’s past couture collection, this season’s line-up felt like somewhat of a thematic departure for the otherwise more gothic designer; his last collection, while equally devoid of black, was inspired by religion, sensuality, and human anatomy. However, the results were stunning, and no details were left to chance – even the zipper pulls on the gowns were wing-shaped to coincide with the airiness of the collection.
Headgear aside, the collection was a wonderful example of how a designer doesn’t need to go completely over the top to have a memorable couture collection.
photos via style.com
