At the creative helm of Givenchy today is Sarah Burton, who was appointed in September 2024 as creative director of the women’s and men’s collections of the historic maison of the LVMH group. After more than a decade at the helm of Alexander McQueen, the designer continues her journey here with a vision that combines sartorial precision and a strongly theatrical idea of elegance.
The Fall/Winter 2026 women’s collection clearly moves in the direction of glamour. The Givenchy woman who emerges on the runway seems designed for social settings: elegant dinners, evenings out, occasions when the dress becomes a statement of presence. Jacket and trouser suits accompanied by the classic contrasting white shirt, along with fitted dresses declined in an intense palette: from electric blue to bright yellow, to long lace dresses embellished with hand embroidery and glitter and sequin reflections.
Leopard print returns insistently, appearing on coats, tops and slinky dresses, and adds a bolder note to the collection. Collars are also emphasized or rethought with constructions that wrap around the neck, while sleeves take on a life of their own: the puff sleeve is reinterpreted here in a shorter version, stopping just below the elbow and almost taking on the appearance of an accessory cuff. It appears in neutral shades, but also in leather or the same animal print that runs through the collection.
The aesthetic codes of the fashion house are clearly found in the accessories. Shark boots, now an inseparable element of Givenchy’s imagery, are transformed into cuissards that stretch down the leg, made of leather or embroidered fabrics. Accessories play a central role in the styling: dangling earrings with large colored stones, maxi chain necklaces that encircle the neck, important and very present jewelry, emphasized by satin bonnet headdresses that enclose the face and frame it.
The overall impression is one of overtly glamorous and opulent femininity. Elegance manifests itself most effectively, however, in my opinion, in the more sober looks: the tailored suits and coats with clean lines turn out to be among the most successful moments of the collection. In the evening gowns, by contrast, the decorative richness and some of the more daring cuts sometimes tend toward excess and, off the runway, could easily come across as kitschy.
Overall, the two-pieces and coats represent the most solid points of the proposal. It is there that the collection finds its best balance: in the precision of the cut, in the measure of proportions, and in an elegance that appears most natural and convincing.
[đź“· Instagram: givenchy]
