Riccardo Tisci is a good Catholic guy at heart, isn't he? Underneath all that gothic black, street edge and those scary German Shepherds, lies an altar boy still fascinated by the mysteries of church. Aren't we all? The giant organ plunked on one side of the catwalk (the other end made do with a mere DJ booth) said it all. Riccardo was taking us to church and these were some mean Sunday bests! His mama would be proud.
He was inspired by Hubert de Givenchy's Sixties period (unmistakably his best) but Holly Golightly this wasn't - although Madame Hepburn would have looked lovely in the opening baby blue dress or an ethereal white layer number, sans gold chokers, of course. This was a controlled collection - shiny metal clips even held ruffles into place making them look like angel wings. But fly they did! In simple white, that baby blue again, and powder grey Tisci showed us his romantic side, refined and precise and intimate. A knee-length skirt had an apron fold and was teamed with a fluttering sheer top held in place by a choker above its priestly white collar and two shoulder clips. Any sexually-charged thoughts you kept to yourself, or confessed later! Sometimes the ruffles would let loose and wrap around the neckline or down the back but they were mostly kept in check. The tailoring was fantastic and soft, again a play on layers: a long jacket over a long panel at the back over slim trousers. But it never felt claustrophobic; the rounded sleeves were sliced open and allowed to breathe, light was let in with sheerness and a showing-no-skin-at-all top had all the ease of a sweatshirt.
If Tisci's guests and fans were expecting something more charged and hot-blooded he let them into a secret every good boy and girl learns eventually: that good things come to those who wait. In the Church of Tisci, it'd be a sin to spoil things by rushing.
