Givenchy 9/11 Fashion Week show: A love letter to New York

I have to confess I was really trilled when I first heard that Riccardo Tisci has decided to open up his #NYFW SS2016 show to the public. Fashion week and hell! the whole high fashion/hautecouture thing has become the poster-child for exclusivity and a pathetic effort of celebrities of the-day to carve "a place" where only who's who in daily gossip can assemble without the riff-raff. (here comes the rant -- yes! during fashion week I care to see and read about the shows and the people who bring them to life, not about whether Kim Kardashian or the likes will be attending ... but that's me and I will say no more.)

Let's hear it for Givenchy and the first strike against fashion stratification!

Tisci dedicated 1,200 tickets for distribution to the general public on first come first serve base and further allotted 280 of those free passes specifically for fashion students at FIT, Pratt Institute, Parsons, and the High School for Fashion Industries. YES! Add live streaming, and #NYFW is not the same, in a way way good sense. I hope other label will follow suit.

Trending Now NYFW (source polyvore.com)

Then there was the show’s date, which I understand  is assigned by the CFDA. Tisci really appears to have embraced the resonance of Sept. 11 and turned his debut New York show into a moving and powerful tribute. Disposing of color in favor of monochromatic black and white looks brought drama and mourn but the exquisite details of the clothes and the craftsmanship more than emphasized the designer's interest and desire to honor the lives lost and to pay homage to love and humanity.

   

Givenchy Spring 2016 Ready-to-Wear (source for all photos above polyvore.com)

The lingerie-like lace dresses and tops — which emerged as one of the main trends out of NYFW2016 overall so far —  had an exquisite Gothic feel. But my favorites were the menswear: some structured some more fluid-- but all done to perfection.  The structured silhouettes surely had a somber element to them but they were so perfectly done that the end result was a simple eternal elegance.

Givenchy Spring 2016 Ready-to-Wear (source for all photos above polyvore.com)

Paired with couture gowns and tunics, some heavy embellished with metal chains, pearls, lame, metal elements, tulles, and textured leather, the display of classic beauty was front and center.

Givenchy Spring 2016 Ready-to-Wear source for all photos above  vogue and polyvore.com)

In true Givenchy style, some of the more elaborated looks were also topped off with facial jewelry, romantic lace masks and warrior-like metal headbands which added to the surreal vibe of the show. Add the fact that the models had to walk over staking pallets (which unfortunately resulted in few faux-pas and falls) to rhythms of music from various religions and cultures and we really had a true House of Givenchy show of which Hubert de Givenchy would be proud .

Givenchy Spring 2016 Ready-to-Wear (clipped to polyvore.com)

Givenchy Spring 2016 Ready-to-Wear (clipped to polyvore.com)

Givenchy Spring 2016 Ready-to-Wear (source vogue clipped to polyvore.com)

It was only appropriate to close the show with “Ave Maria” against the backdrop of the Freedom Tower’s Tribute in Lights.  No doubt the Givenchy show was the highlight of New York Fashion week. It will take a gargantuan effort to top this one.