Matthew M. Williams' Givenchy Fall 2021 Collection Disrupts Heritage With Studs and Leather
There are even some silver-spiked mule sandals.
Matthew M. Williams‘s vision for Givenchy certainly reads as being informed by contemporary tastes and yet, according to the designer, embraces “tradition, the techniques of the salon and timelessness.” This dichotomy is further explored for Fall 2021, as the maison’s new creative director continues mining Williams’ particular palate for menswear and womenswear alike.
“Ultimately, what I am trying to do in the Givenchy collections is reflect today’s world,” Williams said in a statement. “The clothing is not disposable or dictatorial, instead we want it to become central to a person’s sense of their own style, and build each season. It’s an idea of a more personal luxury, of simultaneous formality and informality, construction and comfort; it’s the luxury of people wearing clothes, not clothes wearing people.”
To achieve this, Williams undercuts signature Givenchy elements — glamorous accessories, refined tailoring and Hubert de Givenchy’s little black dress — with his own stylistic codes, leaning heavily on his penchant for flashy metallic accents. Thus, monochrome tailoring is closed with cylindrical gold studs, trench coat shoulders sport pointy metal hardware and even TPU-infused mule sandals feature wanton slabs of silver atop their toeboxes, complementing the “love lock”-laden bags and jewelry.
Vivid stabs of red, pink and olive interrupt the otherwise neutral color palette, informing garments that range from ultra-cropped bomber jackets (barely more than sleeves and neck) to quilted puffer coats to snug jersey tights. Trim silhouettes appear throughout, in fact, as Williams’ wearables lean into the slim and the semi-slim, regardless if they’re a streamlined cafe racer leather, velcro-patched work jacket or distressed denim jeans.
December has been a packed month for Williams, who recently oversaw 1017 ALYX 9SM’s puffy Moncler collaboration.
