Givenchy vs. H&M
Givenchy‘s been one of my favorite houses in the last few seasons. Riccardo Tisci turns out wearable, sexy clothes that are also smart and timely. He knows where we are before we get there, and he makes it look easy. The accessories, too, are out of control, and branding is subtle if it’s there at all.
The striped blazers that opened the spring ’10 show (above) ended up copied across price levels. Black and white is one of those ideas that come back every few years, shifting just enough details to be relevant to current trends and silhouettes. It’s a combination shoppers can easily okay – it seems classic and not that challenging to pull off, while still grabbing attention.
I think it’s actually the classics that get you in trouble because their nuances change each season, but I’m all for people supporting the fashion industry. Black and white is super good for retail during this recovery from the recession.
The fall ’10 H&M Divided campaign features clothes that borrow some elements from this Givenchy collection: the psychedelic, geometric print and the black and white stripes. The clothes work well in a crowd shot set against a white background, not unlike the set up of Givenchy’s campaign.
But H&M makes it their own, adding more space between the models. Plus the H&M cuts and prints are simpler, the prices are lower, and the pieces don’t directly copy Givenchy.
It’s now possible to do Givenchy B&W without referencing specific pieces from the SS10 collection. It’s like Givenchy birthed a baby that can now walk on its own. Or maybe the Givenchy version of B&W beat out other labels’ use of this combination for trend dominance.
Not sure how these lessons are going to apply to my life, but I’m def not sad I left this dress at the store at the end of the season:
That’s what I look like tweeting from a dressing room, give or take some distortions/optical illusions. Say hi!
p.s. The pants + tunic silhouette is an evolving story – it was in a few collections for fall (left shot on 2nd image), but who knows when/if it’ll be adopted/shown in editorials.
Givenchy ads via Hypebeast, H&M Divided ad via CoaFA
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