It doesn’t yet have a replacement for outgoing designer Julien Macdonald, but Givenchy does have a collection — confected by an anonymous studio — which it showed at a presentation at its headquarters on Wednesday. Inspired by Louise Dahl Wolfe’s photographs and a breezy Forties and Fifties American sportswear-meets-French-chic style, the line was focused on capturing the house’s legacy for sophisticated elegance. To wit: Many of the pieces, from a raffia bolero to the inside-out gingham sundresses, looked as if they had been pulled straight from the archives. Nautical details abounded — underscored by a seaside decor with striped beach chairs — on sailor trousers, sundresses with thick rope belts and long gowns with contrasting piping and capes. The pieces had charm, but lacked the vitality one hopes Macdonald’s replacement will bring to this venerable, but hibernating, brand.
