Givenchy Haute Couture 19

Such is the spectacle of Haute Couture, grand proportions can be relied upon to meet or exceed the sense of ceremony. Never one to suffocate under the creed of convention, Clare Waight Keller reined it in, evidencing her deft handling of weight and texture through elaborate mini-volumes. Bodies spliced by curt chunks of black and white, structured shoulder crop tops court bead encrusted lace, eyelash chiffon and garlands of pearls, balanced by a pair of clean-cut city shorts, brief with a petal-like flare.

Shape spills over with the most disciplined decorum. Take the candid burst of lemon yellow in a look which wraps the body bust to toe; a boned bandeau bustier caps the hips with a petite umbrella peplum, an openwork guipure maxi skirt sheathed above sunny skin-slick stockings. Even in all-black, restraint proves the medium through which cocktail cut and unabashed opulence can collide. A tailored capelet flares from the neck, topped by an ostrich feather ruff and satin bell sleeves, while a tightly cut mini skirt whips the waist with a high-set cummerbund. Lace reads like royal icing, wafer-thin and worked into micro-dresses: one part cheongsam, one part double-breasted blazer. The kink of latex served an antidote to the delicacy, spilling down the legs like hot tar, or as the lacquered longsleeve gauntlet that brings bite to a tulle gown. Between the poles of monochrome, these vivacious dissents into color, light and texture pull the foray back into focus, the faceted passions of femininity abridged by one title: Bleached Canvas.