See Clare Waight Keller's Japanese-Inspired Collection For Givenchy Spring 2019

For Spring 2019, artistic director Clare Waight Keller draws on her British roots by mingling traditional men’s tailoring and fabrics and playful cues such as 80s-inflected sharp shoulders and asymmetrical lines and grounding it all in day-to-night practicality.

 

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Hubert de Givenchy cultivated a life-long interest in Japanese culture. Picking up on that history, Clare Waight Keller drew from her own recent trip to Japan as well as key pieces from the archives for the spring collection. Multiple layers of references come through in the looks’ crisp, graphic lines, saturated color palette, and Japanese-inspired prints and fabrics.

 

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Minimalist black dresses contoured in white keep company with statement pieces such as a glossy turquoise leather jacket and tulip skirt, a split-neck funnel top with cropped glazed burgundy leather trousers, or a teal funnel-neck leather top with ribbed cuffs worn over a glazed, straight-cut skirt.

 

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Shades of red also make a strong statement, on a coat paired with a cropped black and red goat jacket, a dramatic one-shouldered evening dress, and a herringbone coat. Lace options flourish this season, for both separates and a crew-neck, tiered evening gown in bonded lace. Traditional Japanese motifs are in prints and embellishments, as seen in a dégradé “Japanese fire flower” print cascading down a mid-length black dress, or manga-inspired embellishments on men’s bomber jackets and hoodies. Additional embellishments include embroidered crystal starbursts and sequins.

Clare Waight Keller continues to explore faux fur with a coat in imitation “natural” fox, and variations in white, black, and anise. Spring’s rich fabric mix features Japanese specialist wool for coats and suiting as well as double-face cashmeres, crêpe de chine, poplin, faille, taffeta, tweeds, and silk velvet accents. Technical fabrics include ultra-lightweight nylons and injected puffer jackets, an alternative to goose down. New developments include shiny finishings on jersey and leathers (lambskin, calfskin).

 

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*This article was originally published in Metro Society, February 2019 Issue.

 

Photographs courtesy of Givenchy