From the Frontlines (And Crowded Stairwell) of Sarah Burton’s Givenchy Debut

Gwendoline Christie told British Vogue that the covetable physical invites had a “handmade quality” to them. “It’s a feeling of being in the atelier,” she said. Names were handwritten on blue duchess satin and the assigned seat in chalk on pinned lining fabric unspooling with loose threads.

There had been worry that fashion week’s events would be stalled by issues earlier in the day: An unexploded World War II bomb was found close to Paris’s busy Gare du Nord station, which had delayed travel. But inside the salon, all felt sunny and controlled.

On arrival at Givenchy’s headquarters, longheld friends of the house joined a new cohort of cultural figures. Heartstopper stars Joe Locke and Kit Connor, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn (though no Doja Cat), a sparkly disced and waist-cinched Raye, and a sharp suited Sophie Okonedo posed for photos. Locke and Connor were particularly excited for their first Givenchy show—we’ll expect to see them at Burton’s menswear debut. Many celebrities in attendance wore iterations of what they’d later see on the runway.

“I’m such a huge fan of Sarah Burton,” Christie told Vogue amid the pre-show buzz. “It’s a house with such exemplary heritage, and she’s truly excellent at respecting those codes, but also bringing her own brand of inimitable, intelligent feminism.”

Schiaparelli creative director Daniel Roseberry, fresh from his own show just yesterday, was also present. The fashion world’s milliner of choice and previous Givenchy collaborator Stephen Jones told Vogue it was his first time in the building since he left more than 20 years ago–probably when the house was last under the tenure of John Galliano. He said it was a much messier space then.

Attendees made their way up a winding flight of stairs into the top floor’s maze of white-walled rooms. With the windows open and the room bathed in a rare morning of almost-spring sun, it felt intimate, cozy, and convivial. While the rest of the room was kept bare, seats were made of imitation archive files and pattern pieces of the house, like that owned by Hubert de Givenchy himself. Rooney Mara perched on one stack next to Anna Wintour. Burton’s mother was also sat front row.

Despite the preemptive tardiness chiding, the runway show began at 11.25. The runways through multiple rooms ran narrow enough that people in the front row were within touching distance of the models—including a surprise turn by legendary Czech model and actor Eva Herzigova, Alex Consani, and Adut Akech Bior, which marked Bior’s runway return three months after having a child.

Photo: Courtesy of Givenchy

Photo: Courtesy of Givenchy

The show itself was a considered survey of modern womanhood, inspired by long thought lost Hubert de Givenchy patterns: Precise and crisp tailoring, glamorous tangles of jewelry as garments, both body contouring and bouncy silhouettes. A standing ovation was given and celebratory woops and cheers broke out. “This was the ultimate British take on ultra Parisian chic, chic, chic! There were the little Sarah touches...it was incredible. It was like a couture show, actually,” said author and Vogue contributor Plum Sykes.

People began to quickly file out—many were likely heading to Issey Miyake—and no one was spared the stairwell traffic. Some will return to the Givenchy salon tonight for an intimate dinner.