Givenchy spring/ summer 2020: Clare Waight Keller unveils a collection inspired by the Nineties

This was a collection of modest necklines, billowing silhouettes and an effortless aesthetic that translated beautifully for contemporary women
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Karen Dacre30 September 2019

Hindsight proved to be a powerful tool for Givenchy designer Clare Waight Keller who has unveiled a new collection inspired by the Nineties.

With the intention of holding the era, best known in fashion terms for its waifish models and barely-there slip dresses, to account for its contribution to today’s society, the Duchess of Sussex’s favourite designer sought to repackage Nineties classics with a truly empowered new edge.

Angular suiting, low-slung wide-leg trousers and jeans created from upcycled denim were among the highlights in a collection which saw botanical prints juxtaposed with a tough urban look.

While fashion designers have form for celebrating the decade that gave us Kurt Cobain cardigans and Kate Moss on the catwalk, Waight Keller set out to interrogate it, referencing Allison Yarrow’s 90s Bitch as a leading source of inspiration for the show which was staged in Paris last night.

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“The whole idea of being stirpped back, of being almost naked, was another way of sexaulising women. It was interesting for me now to look back and that and see it in a different way.” she said backstage. Adding, “what was happening back then has led to where we are now”.

On the catwalk, this idea manifested with modest necklines, billowing silhouettes and an effortless aesthetic that translated beautifully for contemporary women. Models sporting flat sandals and bags large with enoiugh space to conduct a busy life with continued this idea.

The intention to empower and not sexualise the Givenchy woman ran throughout with Waight Keller looking to arm her woman with toughened leathers. Bustiers and a pale pink bralette modelled by Kaia Gerber came in leather and coarse satin in order to serve as an armory instead of a marker of objectification.

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When it came to denim - an element no examination into Nineties fashion could be complete without out - Waight Keller began another modernisation process for the Givenchy house by upcycling jeans sourced from the Nineties for the 2020 consumer.

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“We are all talking about the fact that fashion has to be more conscious and denim is a part of my collection that I felt I could take and really do that authentically” she said of the range. In the context of a bank busting fashion show and a storied fashion house with plenty to improve where its enviromental impact is concerned, this is both a small gesture and a sign that change is on the agenda. Undoubtedly, it’s come a long way since the Nineties.

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