GIVENCHY Spring/Summer 2013 Menswear Collection

Going back to his Southern Italian roots, Riccardo Tisci looks at the cult of communion. Mixing it with a Bauhaus reference and a rich iconography of reworked classical Madonnas and child, the Spring/Summer collection brings together romanticism and sharpness.

A romantic almost angel-like innocence transpires through pristine silhouettes. Clean tailoring and long shirt-tunics fix the season. The masculine urban feeling that has defined Givenchy menswear over the years moves away from sportswear materials. Bombers, t-shirts and sweatshirts are injected a new life with couture fabrics. The use of an exclusive woven printed jacquard layered with same-print silk chiffon, duchesse satin, organza and moiré redefine allure and sensuality.

Elongated shapes and blocking cuts add geometry and graphic purity. Religious sartorial shows boxier yet linear volumes. Long priest waistcoats and sleeveless jacket feature graphic side slits producing flapping squares of fabric. Paneling and layering give life to the clothes. They move and create optical effects when sheer chiffon is matched with Japanese high density wool, light tropical wool or high density twisted cotton.

A series of reinvented classical Icons translate Riccardo Tisci’s new take on prints. Various techniques explore holographic superimpositions, fragmented faces, artistically painted eerie prints and blurred effect framed in graphic cubes and colorful rectangles. The procession of white, black and pale pink looks is punctuated by scarlet red and the sheen of gold chained patent leather trainers-turned-into sandals and crystal magnet nose piercings.