There's gonna be a Givenchy shaped void in the Couture Fashion Week schedule from now on as the French house announce they are quitting the runway. Never woulda had Givenchy down as needing to furiously yank together those purse strings but apparently it's all in a bid to save a bunch of cash. They will still create and show their couture creations but by appointment only. 

"I want to make couture even more special than it is, and not just another catwalk show." Justifies Riccardo Tisci. "People can really experience the couture moment: See it, touch it." To be fair, that's a nice, romantic slant to what's only really a move to save up to 35% less via private appointments.

But this ain't Tisci's greatest hurdle - the lover of noir has vowed to avoid black in his next collection, "It's the first time I'm not doing any black. It's a challenge for me to do no black, and I like a challenge."

(All images: Givenchy Couture S/S '10)

Posted on June 22, 2010 at 12:02:28 by The Real Runway