Givenchy Shows Dressy Tailoring For Men at Paris Fashion Week

Matthew Williams has re-energized the house since his appointment as Givenchy’s creative director in 2020. The designer, who also heads the streetwear brand 1017 ALYX 9SM, brought a fresh attitude to the Paris runway, incorporating beloved city emblems into his silhouettes and embracing raw edges with a sense of experimentation. His Spring 2022 show explored the balance between extremes—luxury and utilitarianism, classic style and modernity—and featured a collection that included everything from camouflage workwear-inspired pants to thigh-high boots with bulbous clog soles.

A day before the show, he walked through a column-lined hallway of the Musee de l? Armee in central Paris, overlooking the monument’s gilded dome, offered an elegant spring and summer lineup for men. Models paraded suitcoats that ranged from long and slightly boxy to short and pinched at the waist, paired with low-crotched trousers. Williams also reimagined the classic tuxedo jacket with a wide lapel and deep armholes, adding a notch to the collar and a sleeveless undershirt. He even tipped the cap to Hubert de Givenchy, whose namesake label redefined 20th-century fashion with architectural pieces that were as much functional as they were stylish.

The designer also created a series of dresses that looked like his female models’ lingerie uniforms under the bright artificial sun in the Jardin des Plantes, where botanists cross-pollinate hybrid blooms. The runway, set among a lush garden of white flowers, green vines, and thorny bushes, felt like a breath of fresh air after Clare Waight Keller’s clean, feminine silhouettes. Williams drew inspiration from a photo of the city’s famous? Love locks. He was adorning bridges around the city and infusing them into his collection.

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For accessories, Williams added full-length opera gloves that extended from dresses or hung down over the cuffs of sleeves and leather bras that were worn with some dresses for an intimate effect. Other pieces leaned toward biker-inspired accessories that have become the hallmark of his line. The new Voyou bag introduced Moto zippers, while other purses elevated Givenchy’s archival styles with reimagined hardware handles.

In addition to the tailored suiting, the collection included a line of T-shirts cropped at the waist and left untucked to showcase the contrasting colors of the shirting fabric. Williams used contrasting shades to emphasize his concept of utilitarianism, which is influenced by the military-inspired streetwear of his brand. Williams also enlisted artist Josh Smith to create a series of prints displayed on T-shirts, hats, and hoodies, as well as on thigh-high boots that had been made in collaboration with Givenchy footwear designer Michele Cantoni. The brand also launched a new Kenny bag that was gathered and ornamented with Williams’s characteristic ring pulls and Love Locks motifs. Givenchy blazers at Farfetch feature subdued block hues and low-key prints, making them ideal for a sophisticated look. Shop the collection here to find a variety of styles and finishes, including slim fits and double-breasted styles.