PARIS, Oct 3, 2007 / FW / --- Signing his 10th collection for Givenchy, Riccardo Tisci once again went for an edgy, fashion forward look that can arguably be said his best collection to date for the venerable French fashion house.

Since his appointment in March 2005 as Creative Director of the Parisian maison, Riccardo Tisci had been given mixed reviews both by the press and haute couture clients. While some fashion journalists liked the direction he was taking at Givenchy, i.e., reinventing the Givenchy DNA to be more edgy and fashion forward, others are saying that House Codes are sacrosanct and should be observed at all cost.

Some haute couture clients who were big fans of the house left because they found Riccardo Tisci’s designs too dark, while others liked it. But, this is the pręt-a-porter season, and the Italian-born designer has a wider audience to please. And his Spring 2008 collection is definitely a ‘crowd pleaser’ to use an American vernacular.

Defying the ‘colorful’ trend this season, Tisci opted for the neutral color palette of black, white and beige with just a few splashes of light blue. For the ‘print’ trend, his only assent is the ‘polka dot,’ which he interpreted his own way.

Throwing away the ‘sweet and classic’ look of polka dots, Riccardo Tisci made it bigger, even gigantic at times. The first exit, a black and gray dress with asymmetrical hemline and sporting only one sleeve is a two-layered ensemble with black as the base and the gray apron cut with gigantic circular holes to represent the polka dot.

Then on a two-layered blouse, Tisci represented the “dots” by creating keyholes on a black shell, then layering it over with beige chiffon that was adorned with a sheered circular fabric for volume.

But, the designer’s most innovative vision of ‘polka dots’ is with the use of rivets. Using different sizes, he created holes on jackets, blouses and dresses, giving the collection a very industrial feel while keeping the silhouette very polished and refined.

And his coup de grace, big black crystal beads artistically arranged on a black dress worn by Maria Carla. Though technically not ‘polka dots,’ and should officially be called ‘beading’, the bigger than usual size made them distinctive.

Givenchy

Givenchy

Givenchy

Givenchy