Joan Smalls & Paolo Roldan 4 Givenchy FW 2010 Campaign

Ciara & Paolo Rolden - Givenchy's Muses In Vogue Paris

Riccardo Tisci, chief designer of Givenchy, calls upon his latest muse, Ciara, and photographers, Mert & Marcus, to create the visually stunning "Coup De Foudre" editorial for the pages of Vogue Paris. Fueled by Christian themes and styled with Givenchy Couture (by Tisci himself) the editorial overflows with a dark and sexualized mood replete with images of worship, (animal) bondage, and nude models like fellow model muse, Paolo Roldan.

Givenchy FW 2010 Campaign Preview With Transexual Model Lea T.

Givenchy is a rare clothing house that manages to continually grab my attention with it's unique style and flavor. Whether or not I love the collection itself I can always find respect for the brand's messages and themes. To put it simply, Givenchy enamors me.

Unsurprisingly, chief designer, Ricardo Tisci, has done it again with Givenchy's Fall/Winter 2010 campaign. A preview of next season's campaign has been released to the internet and it already has me chomping at the bits to see the rest of the photos. Shot by photographers, Mert & Marcus, the campaign features a diverse smörgåsbord of beautiful models including Joan Smalls (not pictured), Paolo Roldan, Jonathan Marquez, Simon Nessman and Malgosia Bela.

But the standout model of the bunch is Brazilian model, Lea T. Formerly known as Leo, Lea is a transexual woman as well as Tisci's longtime personal assistant and former fit model. Tisci explained to WWD that “She’s always been very feminine: superfragile, very aristocratic. She’s part of the family,” He also added that her look complimented Givenchy's feminine-masculine dichotomy or as I personally like to call it, their penchant for androgyny and gender fucking.

Givenchy FW 2010

Givenchy has yet to reclaim that stroke of genius that was displayed during its Fall 2009 runway show but what they've retained and always shown is that Givenchy has a message within their design and they are at the forefront of fashion when it comes to model castings. Aesthetically speaking, the designs are a bit basic. Suits, classic shirts and leather pieces. What sets them slightly apart from other basics are the subtle details in the construction (a few asymmetrical cuts and layered, holey pants), the Christian inspiration (the Jesus shirt and the golden nettles) and, of course, the skirts (LOVE it!). But what's most intruiging are the models. No other brand gives you such a diverse and stunning cast of male models and they always deliver edge and beauty.

Givenchy SS 2010 Campaign (Full)

A few weeks ago Givenchy released images from their upcoming Spring/Summer campaign, shot by famed photographers, Mert & Marcus. At first glance I wasn't entirely impressed. The simple naval inspired suits are lackluster and the inconsistent model casting throws the campaign off (Does Natalia Vodianova REALLY fit Givenchy's dark and edgy aesthetic?). However, Givenchy's livelier styles still make this campaign worthwhile. The simple striped jackets, goth inspired fashions and white, black and gold trim prints electrify the images and the male models (Simon Nessman, Emil Dostovic and Eduardo Calero) and Mariacarla Boscono give the campaign a sexy edge. It doesn't compare to last seasons campaign triumph but it is a satisfying effort, none the less.

Givenchy Fall/Winter 2009 Campaign

Continuing my love for Givenchy, here are some pics from their Fall/Winter 2009 campaign. Now THIS was the collection that made me fall in love with Givenchy. The tight leather pants, the leather coats, heavy wool, thigh high sequined boots, scarves and WINTER SHORTS. Love it! Any Rock Head/fan/reader who'd like to buy me some of these pieces should feel COMPLETELY free to do so. :-)

Manuel Ramos, Simon Nessman, Jakob Wiechmann

Adriana Lima (Work!!)



Full collection Here and Here

Givenchy = Diversity = Dopeness

Yeah, yeah I know. Men's fashion week was 2 weeks ago and this week it's all about Haute Couture. IT'S ALL THE RAVE! But whatever. Sue me! I had to blog about Givenchy's (pron: Gee-Von-Shee) Spring/Summer 2010 collection. Givenchy's head designer, Riccardo Tisci, drew inspiration for his Spring collection from the youth of Morocco & Tunisia, 90's America, Axl Rose and the late Michael Jackson. Tisci was actually designing pieces for Jackson's upcoming tour and some of the clothes in the collection were designed for Jackson himself.

Looking at the collection I have to admit that while I enjoyed his solids, mesh tops & bottoms, and shoes/sandals (Sooooo DOPE, his prints are too dramatic for my taste (What's up with all those stars??). But what Tisci lacked in practical design he more than made up for in the diversity of his model casting. His show was BY FAR the most diverse of any menswear show in both Milan and Paris this season. Black men, hispanic men, biracial men, white men. He had nearly every shade of man in his show and hired 4 of Red Model Management's (my FAV male agency) models exclusively. I LOVED it. This is what fashion should look like and present to the public.

Here's a rundown of some of the models of color in the show and a video of the show.

Jamil Ramirez (Exclusive, Opened the show)

Lamar James

Henry Watkins (Exclusive)

Manuel Ramos (Current face of Givenchy)

Dominique Hollington (Exclusive)

Junior Carrasqiullos (Exclusive)

Robert Knox (SHOES!!)

Jonathan Marquez

Justin Steward (SHOES!!)

Keith H.

Edward (SHOES!!)

Jesus Luz (SHOES!!)

Emil (Closed the show)

Full collection Here and Here