WallPaper 3

ROBERTO CAVALLI

PAUL SURRIDGE

CLARE WAIGHT KELLER

WAIGHT KELLER (FAR

RIGHT) DESIGNED OUTFITS

SHOWCASING GIVENCHY’S

PERFECT TAILORING,

SUCH AS JACKETS WITH

STRONG SHOULDERS

CONTRASTING WITH

SHORT HEMLINES

SURRIDGE (ABOVE) HAS

CAREFULLY UPDATED

ROBERTO CAVALLI’S

TRADEMARK ZEBRA PRINT,

WHICH NOW APPEARS ON

A PERFECTLY CUT COAT

During her six-year tenure as creative director of

Chloé, Clare Waight Keller redefined the bohemian,

feminine aesthetics of the French maison with flair

and considerable commercial success. So much

so that, prior to her first Givenchy show last October,

some even wondered whether she could adapt to the

darker, sleeker look that was trademark of Hubert de

Givenchy and, of course, her predecessor Riccardo

Tisci. Those who doubted her had clearly forgotten her

past stints at Calvin Klein, Gucci, Pringle of Scotland

and Ralph Lauren, where she designed menswear.

A task she has taken on at Givenchy as well.

The brand’s Spring/Summer 2018 show included

male models in skinny ensembles – a lot more glam,

and a lot less streetwear-inspired, than Tisci’s. The

silhouette was wide at the shoulders and tiny at the

waist for both men and women. Functional bomber

jackets, leather jeans and miniskirts were the key pieces

for womenswear, with some concessions to fantasy

made in eveningwear (the designer’s chiffon and lace

dresses were the most critically acclaimed). Synergy

between men’s and women’s collections is central to

Waight Keller’s approach in her new position. As she

tells us, ’I really believe that there’s an importance to

that dialogue. The idea of the couple is strongly rooted

in the house. That’s something I want to carry forward.

Today, if you think of the people who are the most

influential in the world, they’re often power couples.’

givenchy.com

GIVENCHY

Of all the Italian houses known for their glamazonian

legacies, few are as bold as Roberto Cavalli. Which is

why the choice of Englishman Paul Surridge as the new

creative director came as such a surprise. Surridge is

a Central Saint Martins graduate with an extensive CV,

including stints at the menswear divisions of Calvin

Klein (when the founder was still at the helm), Burberry,

Jil Sander and Z Zegna. The Cavalli gig is his first move

into womenswear. ‘Menswear is more in the smaller

details and the function, whereas womenswear is in the

occasion and more of an emotional approach,’ he says.

‘I like to think that my men’s background has enabled

me to work deeper in the cut, finish and construction.’

Surridge’s Cavalli borrows menswear’s mathematical

precision and obsession with details, without forgetting

the sexiness that defined the Florentine brand in the

first place. Surridge walks a thin line between heritage

and renewal, but then again, he is a man who enjoys

a challenge, ‘and ultimately, it’s Roberto Cavalli’s core

values of beauty and quality that inspired me’.

His first collection still boasts the Cavalli essentials –

zebra prints, fur, and revealing cut-outs – but these

are combined with laser-sharp tailoring and a touch of

androgyny, making them more accessible and current.

‘I’m dedicated to continuing to evolve a modern

approach to sensuality while revisiting some of the

central icons of the maison,’ explains Surridge.

robertocavalli.com

Intelligence

092 ∑