Clare Waight Keller Transforms Givenchy Set Into Film Noir

In her second season at Givenchy, Clare Waight Keller is starting to establish a distinctly cinematic vision for the house under her reign. As guests enter her Autumn/Winter 2018 show this morning in Palais de Justice, the Givenchy logo is spelled out in giant white letters not dissimilar to the Hollywood sign. “I became entranced by the ambience and danger of film noir,” she told Vogue this week, referring to the collection she was still working on. “Through Hubert’s legacy and the actresses he worked with, the house is an intrinsic part of the history of the silver screen.” Hubert de Givenchy’s most famous client was of course Audrey Hepburn, who wore his little black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Waight Keller’s take on cinematic, however, belongs to a slightly different genre. The set she unveils for her sophomore show this morning breaks down the epic hall of the ministry of justice – which has never allowed another fashion brand to present there – decking it out in small salons reminiscent of January’s intimate (and applauded) haute couture show in a palatial building in Le Marais. “The collection is loosely based on the nightlife of Berlin in the early 1980s,” the designer explained, describing how she imagined her Givenchy man and woman in the arid metallic streets of the brutalist city during that era. “I had this image of them as film noir outlaws, a certain sense of grit and glamour and an element of sleaze.”

Framed by velvet curtains in some of Waight Keller’s favourite colours – ink blue, velvet grey, black, boudoir red, plum, and toffee – the salons will be bathed in search lights during the show, amplifying the dark and dangerous mood she described. “I love the metallic colours and the enigmatic atmosphere that the night brings. You have to use your senses more, and in doing so you see things in a completely different light. That’s the mood I want to convey on Sunday,” Waight Keller reflected.