At Jardin des Plantes, Matthew Williams merged polished, urban silhouettes with Los Angeles street style
Yesterday evening, the storm that swallowed Paris Fashion Week took pause at Jardin des Plantes. Under the clearing clouds, the pathways of the Parisian park—where botanists cross-pollinate to create remarkable hybrid blooms—acted as a runway for Givenchy’s Spring/Summer 2023 presentation.
Creative Director Matthew Williams consulted Fashion Editor Carine Roitfeld this season, for her exquisite styling and distinctly French taste. Together, the two debuted a collection ready to wear off the runway. Polished, urban, monochromatic silhouettes were intertwined with signature Los Angeles street style: tweed two-piece sets, baggy cargo shorts, ruched blouses, and cropped hoodies. “This collection is an investigation into the dress codes that tie us together across mentalities and continents,” wrote Williams, “two culturally-specific wardrobes from very different places—Paris and Los Angeles—which have transmuted into a truly universal look for a global and generational community.”
Unexpected interpretations of classic accessories subtly called for a double take. There were full-length opera gloves—sometimes extending from dresses, elongating their sleeves—or made of leather and accented by moto zippers, echoing the collection’s affinity for Americana details. The new Voyou bag introduced biker motifs, its neutral palette of slouchy calfskin etched with hardware. Other purses reimagined archival bags, elevating them with polished leather and innovative handles. In the true spirit of a spring collection, models donned massive rectangular sunglasses for off-duty days, and slender, almost cat-eye lenses to complete the contemporary Givenchy look.
Williams and Rotifeld presented a collection that was feminine and sophisticated, elegant and utilitarian. The garments were evocative of the past and the present—of the promises of Paris, and of Los Angeles.
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