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Couture #BeautyHistory: Alexander McQueen Turns Wings into Crowns at Givenchy 1997 Show

alexander-mcqueen-givenchy-haute-couture-debut-1997 Ahead of next week’s kick off of the Haute Couture Spring 2016 shows, Khaoula Ghanem highlights some of the groundbreaking beauty moments from the Couture archives.

On October 14th, 1996, Bernard Arnault, founder of luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, caused a stir when he announced that John Galliano would take the reins at Christian Dior, and that Alexander McQueen would join the House of Givenchy as Galliano’s successor.

In January 1997, both designers showcased their first house collections at the Spring 1997 Couture shows and simultaneously hailed the start of an era of designers as storytellers, transforming the catwalk with theatrical performances.

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For the Givenchy Haute Couture Spring ‘97 show in Paris, McQueen drew inspiration from Greek mythology; concurrently swapping the elegant spirit of the French fashion house for unconventional designs mixed with a taste of fantasticality that acted as a sneak peek to his future work for his eponymous brand. The debut spectacle redefined the meaning of head-to-toe storytelling in fashion after McQueen sent models down the runway in white and gold Grecian-inspired drapes that were paired with enchanting, fairytale headpieces—wings turned into crowns, elaborate vines of flowers as hair adornments, and labyrinthine horns. Models, including Naomi Campbell and Kristy Hume, sported fuzzy, gravity-defying updos, ornate golden ear cuffs, and masquerade masks that in conjunction with the headpieces and unconventional cat-eye, would all go on to be synonymous with the Alexander McQueen design ethos.

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But if Galliano’s debut at Dior was touted as nothing short of remarkable, McQueen received a less than rapturous response. Despite the criticism that the then-27-year-old-designer received from the French press—and Karl Lagerfeld, who dismissed the British designer as a “Damien Hirst type of shock artist”— McQueen’s first collection for Givenchy ultimately paved the way towards his booming success.

Click here to watch a clip from the Alexander McQueen for Givenchy Spring 1997 Haute Couture debut in Paris.

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