Show: Givenchy fall/winter 2025
Designer: Sarah Burton
Location: 3 Avenue George V
The vibe: Arguably one of the most anticipated shows of the season, showgoers gathered at Hôtel de Caraman to witness Sarah Burton’s debut for Givenchy, following her years at the helm of Alexander McQueen. “To move forward, you have to go back to the beginning. To me, that’s about the atelier. It’s the heart and soul of Givenchy,” Burton shared about the collection. “I want to address everything about modern women. Strength, vulnerability, emotional intelligence, feeling powerful or very sexy. All of it,” she adds. I’m a firm believer that you can always tell when a collection is designed by a woman, and she innately brought this to life by referencing the year of Givenchy: 1952. Showgoers walked in to find stacks of brown paper packets, much like the ones containing Hubert de Givenchy’s calico patterns for his first-ever collection, which were recently uncovered in 8 Avenue Alfred de Vigny. On each invite, slips of fabric with names on them, pinned delicately into cardboard, and beyond this, bare walls of white, leaving the location to shine bright. The suspense was in the air—after all, the last iteration of Givenchy, as onlookers knew it, was fashioned by a streetwear-anchored sensibility, complete with a 180-degree vision of what it had been in the years before.
The vision: Burton’s first collection as artistic director focused on pattern-cutting, craftsmanship, cut, shape, and proportion, with a strong emphasis on tailoring. It’s also why she opted for a blank palette when presenting the collection. She shares the notion of wanting no distractions beyond her very precise manner of putting together a piece within the whirlwind of her studio and the atelier. It was a collection that felt very much like what we’ve all come to know and love from her, with reconstruction adding a playful punch. Some of my personal favourites included the backward-front suit jackets, the Chantilly lace mini dresses, and the gravity-defying scarves that knotted perfectly on severely-cut coats. The bodysuits sparked mixed reactions—the opening look, featuring a branded 1952 across the chest, felt far from the bullseye of what we might have expected.
What to shop from the collection: The beauty of Burton’s designs, in my opinion, is that it evades any sense of “hype” or “of the moment” transientness. What I saw in today’s collection was a range of items that might make it as staples (and incredibly luxurious ones at that) in someone’s wardrobe. The two-toned heavy coats, backwards-front structured blazers, and biker boots that accompanied everything from netted dresses to mini lace babydoll frocks are certainly winners. But then there are the really simple designs that I think might have the longest staying power—from the crisp white shirt and leather trouser combination to the tailored trousers with peekaboo slits at the back.
1 / 10
Givvenchy FW25, Look 3
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Givvenchy FW25, Look 16
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Givvenchy FW25, Look 20
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Givvenchy FW25, Look 22
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Givvenchy FW25, Look 31
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Givvenchy FW25, Look 33
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Givvenchy FW25, Look 44
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Givvenchy FW25, Look 47
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Givvenchy FW25, Look 51
10 / 10
