Back from the Future

Givenchy’s Clare Waight Keller births new classics from grungy New York and exuberant Paris in the ’90s

- Monique Madsen

In 1993, English designer Clare Waight Keller moved to New York City and took over Calvin Klein, the American label that defined the decade. Minimalism was all the rage; slinky slip-dresses worn by Kate Moss were everywhere and women strutted around in denim overalls and streamlined black tailoring with chunky Birkenstocks. This served as a stark contrast to the sophisticated Paris—a fashion capital that was then slowly recovering from the excesses of the ’80s—that Waight Keller frequented.

Now the artistic director of French luxury fashion house Givenchy, Waight Keller takes a look back and revisits her past after sparking inspiration from Allison Yarrow’s book ’90s Bitch: Media, Culture and the Failed Promise of Gender Equality. She refers to the decade’s key trends as a time of“liberated femininity,” debuting a romantically nostalgic spring 2020 collection with billowing caftans, paisley and floral prints, and laser-cut detailing. She also interspersed a tougher spin on some of the ’90s classics with her signature tailored separates and travel-centric accessories.