 |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci To Succeed John Galliano.
The Question Now Is - Who Will Replace Tisci?
The Question Now Is - Who Will Replace Tisci?
DESIGNER NEWS
By Alexander Patino
POSTED March 10, 2011
 |
Two questions naturally abound. Is there any synergy in a Tisci/Dior union?
The Dior we've known for the past 16 years, under the hands of dismissed
Galliano, is anything but stripped down or minimalistic, a leitmotif of choice for
Tisci. Galliano would most certainly bring a theatricality to both his
pret-a-porter and his haute couture shows, while Tisci has publicly stated his
ambivalence for the runway, stating it an unconductive forum for properly
debuting clothes. But Tisci is anything but a prude. His repertoire at Givenchy
is laced with subversive elegance - a combo that gets pieces sold. Tisci also
The Dior we've known for the past 16 years, under the hands of dismissed
Galliano, is anything but stripped down or minimalistic, a leitmotif of choice for
Tisci. Galliano would most certainly bring a theatricality to both his
pret-a-porter and his haute couture shows, while Tisci has publicly stated his
ambivalence for the runway, stating it an unconductive forum for properly
debuting clothes. But Tisci is anything but a prude. His repertoire at Givenchy
is laced with subversive elegance - a combo that gets pieces sold. Tisci also
There's been no official statement, but it looks like Riccardo Tisci, creative director of Givenchy's ready-to-wear (Not to mention the house's haute couture,
men's apparel and accessories) has agreed to take the helm at Christian Dior, following the anti-Semitic rantings that eventually cost John Galliano his
highly-coveted position at the French house.
It seemed there was no stopping the masses from making their own respective lists of viable candidates worthy of filling Galliano's seemingly unfillable
shoes, suspension or no suspension. The ones that kept popping up were Haider Ackermann, Alber Elbaz, creative director of Lanvin and Tisci.
Following one of the best menswear collections of the season, a top-notch haute couture collection and most recently, fall's most erotically ebullient
ready-to-wear, Tisci seems perfectly at home at Givenchy. But Givenchy's 16 freestanding stores worldwide pales in comparison to Dior's 160. The House
of Dior certainly means more money and more clout.
men's apparel and accessories) has agreed to take the helm at Christian Dior, following the anti-Semitic rantings that eventually cost John Galliano his
highly-coveted position at the French house.
It seemed there was no stopping the masses from making their own respective lists of viable candidates worthy of filling Galliano's seemingly unfillable
shoes, suspension or no suspension. The ones that kept popping up were Haider Ackermann, Alber Elbaz, creative director of Lanvin and Tisci.
Following one of the best menswear collections of the season, a top-notch haute couture collection and most recently, fall's most erotically ebullient
ready-to-wear, Tisci seems perfectly at home at Givenchy. But Givenchy's 16 freestanding stores worldwide pales in comparison to Dior's 160. The House
of Dior certainly means more money and more clout.
exclusively designed Madonna's 2008 Sticky & Sweet Tour and recently broke a new barrier of his own when he
casted his former long-time personal assistant, a Brazilian transsexual named Lea T (formerly Leo), for his
fall/winter 2010 ad campaign. Still, the fact remains, Tisci is more space-age deity than Victorian damsel. This
one could be tricky.
casted his former long-time personal assistant, a Brazilian transsexual named Lea T (formerly Leo), for his
fall/winter 2010 ad campaign. Still, the fact remains, Tisci is more space-age deity than Victorian damsel. This
one could be tricky.
The second question keeps the game going. Who will replace Tisci at Givenchy and will it only be one person? So far, the
only name in the air seems to be that of Haider Ackermann (top left). The Colombian-born designer and Antwerp Academy
of Fine Arts alum has been around for almost a decade, but the attention and the accolades finally started pouring in when
Karl Lagerfeld stepped in. Lagerfeld proclaimed Ackermann's spring 2011 collection to be the best thing he saw all year -
and later went on to say that come the day that he should step down from Chanel, Ackermann should be the man to take his
place. Someone definitely remembered that when names started being thrown around left and right at the onset of Paris
Fashion Week.
But surely there must be other candidates in the pool. Perhaps Dutch designer Josephus Thimister (top right)? Just as
Tisci's work carries a deeply religious (not just Catholic) undercurrent, so does Thimister's, which is deeply tied to Nordic
lore. The upside in that equation is that Thimister has experience at the helm of a big French label. He was creative director
of Balenciaga for nearly half a decade. The downside, for Thimister at least, is that he was almost immediately suspended
from Balenciaga following his crash-and-burn runway show that caused everyone in attendance to flee from the venue due
to the ear-bleedinly loud runway music. Still, the fact remains, Anna Wintour herself called Thimister one of the best
designers of the 20th-century. That's not something to easily discount at a time like this.
What about Gareth Pugh (bottom left)? Let us consider the backgrounds of some of Givenchy's recent creative directors.
John Galliano, Alexander McQueen and Riccardo Tisci - all Central St. Martins alums, as is Pugh. The deeply-rooted
religious sensibility in Pugh's work- McQueen and Tisci certainly qualify there, and Pugh and Galliano both saw their careers
bloom with the help of their fashion mother hen, Anna Wintour. Pugh is a visionary and the reaches of his imagination could
very capably handle a couture line. Now, is Pugh even interested in this kind of prospect, is another question altogether. But,
just as Tisci was hired to head Givenchy after one Milan runway showing, so can another under-the-radar designer swoop in
and take one of fashion's most coveted jobs at one of the most iconic houses we'll ever have. With the speed of fashion, at
least we'll have this mystery solved within the week. As for whether Tisci and Dior will live happily ever after? We'll have to
wait till September for that one.
only name in the air seems to be that of Haider Ackermann (top left). The Colombian-born designer and Antwerp Academy
of Fine Arts alum has been around for almost a decade, but the attention and the accolades finally started pouring in when
Karl Lagerfeld stepped in. Lagerfeld proclaimed Ackermann's spring 2011 collection to be the best thing he saw all year -
and later went on to say that come the day that he should step down from Chanel, Ackermann should be the man to take his
place. Someone definitely remembered that when names started being thrown around left and right at the onset of Paris
Fashion Week.
But surely there must be other candidates in the pool. Perhaps Dutch designer Josephus Thimister (top right)? Just as
Tisci's work carries a deeply religious (not just Catholic) undercurrent, so does Thimister's, which is deeply tied to Nordic
lore. The upside in that equation is that Thimister has experience at the helm of a big French label. He was creative director
of Balenciaga for nearly half a decade. The downside, for Thimister at least, is that he was almost immediately suspended
from Balenciaga following his crash-and-burn runway show that caused everyone in attendance to flee from the venue due
to the ear-bleedinly loud runway music. Still, the fact remains, Anna Wintour herself called Thimister one of the best
designers of the 20th-century. That's not something to easily discount at a time like this.
What about Gareth Pugh (bottom left)? Let us consider the backgrounds of some of Givenchy's recent creative directors.
John Galliano, Alexander McQueen and Riccardo Tisci - all Central St. Martins alums, as is Pugh. The deeply-rooted
religious sensibility in Pugh's work- McQueen and Tisci certainly qualify there, and Pugh and Galliano both saw their careers
bloom with the help of their fashion mother hen, Anna Wintour. Pugh is a visionary and the reaches of his imagination could
very capably handle a couture line. Now, is Pugh even interested in this kind of prospect, is another question altogether. But,
just as Tisci was hired to head Givenchy after one Milan runway showing, so can another under-the-radar designer swoop in
and take one of fashion's most coveted jobs at one of the most iconic houses we'll ever have. With the speed of fashion, at
least we'll have this mystery solved within the week. As for whether Tisci and Dior will live happily ever after? We'll have to
wait till September for that one.
 |
