Paris latest: Givenchy

Riccardo Tisci delivered. Essentially, this designer has by now so cast-iron branded the Givenchy woman—who she is and how she wants to dress—a feat in itself which should be applauded.

Here was a great collection of sinuous, shouldered silhouettes that kicked out (at the waist) or spilled down (the fronts of jackets) with ruffles. Ultra-feminine to the point of vixendom. The stellar line-up of "vintage" models, like Frankie Rayder and Gisele, who closed the show, gave serious weight to his tough-rock-lady vision. However, occasionally the clothes looked a bit overwrought, so complex were those ruffles and folds when rendered in sequins that they became stiff as a board. One wondered how they would feel to wear in real life, i.e. not tramping down a catwalk but sitting, and... eating.

But it was a strong show with a powerful energy from a proper designer who knows his woman inside out, all of whom, by the way, were sitting front row: Naomi, Lou Doillon, Lulu de la Falaise, ADR—quite a spread of ages and types—all, it has to be said, looking great in Givenchy.