Givenchy Haute Couture F/W 2010/2011

Riccardo Tisci caused a minor stir earlier this year when he announced that Givenchy would no longer hold couture runway shows because the expense took resources away from the designs.

Rather than showing 30 mediocre looks in an extravagant setting he wanted to focus on a smaller, extravagant collection in a presentation open only to a handful of editors, couture clients, and their own sole photographer.

Now as a fashion enthusiast, who will never come close to even being in the same room as a true couture gown, this pissed me off. Fashion is art! The runway is an extension of the artistic vision! How dare they exclude the rest of us!

However, if I were a couture client I’d be thrilled! And I have to admit, with more money and attention poured into the pieces the art of couture can, of course, beautifully shine through.

Tisci looked back on his debut for the house and created investment pieces that, thanks to their beauty and timelessness, will surely become heirlooms.

You would think multiple shades of white, lace, pearl, and some feathers would scream bridal nightmare but Tisci managed to make it a couture dream.

I didn’t like the looks with embellished jackets- it was just too much o on top of the opulent dresses. But where the extravagance worked it really worked- like with Natasha Poly’s naked feather dress!