The Haute Couture shows in Paris never fail to astound me with the astonishing level of craftsmanship, eye to detail, and exquisite craftsmanship. This year, however, one house in particular caught my attention – Givenchy by Ricardo Tisci. 

There is an ongoing debate as to whether or not couture is relevant in modern day society. We live in a state of constant flux, disposable garments and ever-changing trends. Gone are the days when a lady commissions garments to be created just for herself; garments that last for a far longer period than the items that we wear these days. Haute Couture is seen as outdated, extravagant and frivolous (in these hard times). However, with the S/S ’12 collection, Ricardo Tisci embraced modernity, maybe not so much with the painstaking embellishments and crazy price tags, granted, but with the concept and inspiration for the collection.

First and foremost, the collection was presented in a gymnasium with basketballs strewn around. (“What?!”, I hear you say.) Yes. Basketballs. Secondly, he used crocodile skin as a key textile in the ten pieces that he created for the collection. He also made the models wear absolutely enormous earrings and nose rings; whether or not he made them all have their noses pierced I don’t know, but they must have been heavy.

Oh, and did I mention that one of the dresses took 350 hours to make? You wouldn’t think we were in a recession, right? But far from that being a criticism, I honestly believe that for those interested in fashion, the couture shows are and always will be pure heaven. An indulgence, something that we can dream and fantasise about! Sure, we’ll most likely never be able to afford any of it (in any case, if we could, I’m not sure there are enough crocodiles in existence), but Haute Couture is, in its purest form, an Art.