Menswear: Givenchy SS13

Givenchy menswear, designed by Riccardo Tisci, has fast become one of the most sought after collections in fashion. From the iconic bird of paradise print to t-shirts and sweatshirts printed with rottweiler’s and sharks (just try getting your hands on one of those) Tisci leads the menswear pack, while everyone else just follows. SS13 abandoned previous aesthetics favour of an almost entirely black colour palette and some decidedly ecclesiastical themes. It was a much more sombre affair than last season, but the Givenchy man was reinvented once again.

As an Italian Tisci is obviously no stranger to religious art, ornate cathedrals and renaissance paintings, but it’s rare that we see these influences translated into fashion, especially menswear. It’s not a completely new idea, Westwood has been putting renaissance paintings on t-shirts for decades but then there’s always a sly nod to her punk roots when she does so. At Givenchy the iconography was used while maintaining a respectful reverence.

Key pieces feature the Madonna in splendid gold, along with signature Tisci tailoring, slim trousers and ethereal blousons. Satin bomber jackets also carry the religious iconography but created a fragmented image, layered on top of tees – as if glimpsing some stained glass window from an angle. SS13 trends such as the ‘all over print’ were present, as was a much more relaxed fit for shorts in comparison with the rest of the collections tailoring. It’s a tour de force season for a designer at the very top of his game, Tisci, we salute you.