“Clothes For Women!”: A Dispatch From the Front Row at Sarah Burton’s Givenchy Debut

FRIDAY 11:05 AM MARCH 7, 2025 PARIS

On Friday morning, the hottest ticket in Paris was a seat at designer Sarah Burton’s first collection for Givenchy, marking a major reset for the house. “To go forward, you have to go back to the beginning,” said Burton, whose debut included references to the brand’s very first collection from 1952, updated for the contemporary woman. “She’s so good at honoring heritage and at the same time bringing an inimitable breath of modernity and intelligent new ideas about what a woman is,” exclaimed Gwendoline Christie, who joined us after the show alongside a suite of VIPS—including Law Roach, Yseult, Guido Palau, and Marisa Berenson—to swap kisses and hot takes.

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DARA: What did you think?

LYAS: I loved it. I think it’s major. One thing that caught my eye though is the logo that’s on the shoes. I think we’re going back to a logo.

MEL OTTENBERG: That was a smart way of dealing with the basic suits that want the logo and doing it in a way that is going to look good on the floor of Barneys and Saks.

DARA: Oh, period. These were clothes for real people.

OTTENBERG: I was just saying to someone how something that’s been bugging me in general is not seeing clothes designed for actual humans, clothes that people could wear. That doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be wearable for everyone, just clothes that are not just some weird fantasy. I really loved the teeny tiny black and white tulle strapless Brigitte Bardot dresses. There’s a lot to like, but I really liked those two dresses a lot.

LYAS: I thought the yellow was so fun.

DARA: Great color. I like that there were surprising materials. And I need that compact dress for somebody, for something. I don’t know for what, but I need it. [Dara sees models Loli Bahia and Mona Tougaard] Hey girl!  How do you feel after walking this Givenchy show?

LOLI BAHIA: Tired! But I love my outfit. It’s definitely the outfit of my season.

MONA TOUGAARD: Amazing. 

DARA: Hi, Guido. How are you? Can you tell Interview Magazine what the inspiration was behind this hair?

GUIDO PALAU: Just sort of easy beauty, you know? The clothes say it all. I think Sarah just wanted it to feel kind of relaxed in a way to contrast these beautiful clothes.

DARA: Just chic.

PALAU: Yeah, chic.

DARA: I love it. Well, it’s good to see you. So you’re tired, right? What day of fashion week is this?

TOUGAARD: Day 110 vibes. It feels like it.

RYAN DESTINY: Hi, Dara.

DARA: Hi, Ryan Destiny. And hi, Law Roach. You both look gorgeous. What did you think of the Givenchy show?

ROACH: I thought the show was incredible. Sarah’s showing that she understands the house codes of Givenchy.

DARA: The haute couture vibe.

ROACH: Oh my god. I keep saying this over and over again, but if this was ready-to-wear, what the fuck does she have in store for us for couture?

DARA: Oh, I’m getting chills.

ROACH: It’s so exciting to be excited, you know?

DARA: Yes, true.

DESTINY: I’m really excited and honored to be here. It’s my first Givenchy show.

DARA: Congratulations. Clothes for women.

DESTINY: Exactly.

ROACH: And different women. Different ages and sizes.

DARA: Thank god for some body on a runway. Is it so hard? It’s not so hard.

DESTINY: No, not at all.

DARA: Gwendoline Christie! What did you think of Sarah Burton’s Givenchy debut?

CHRISTIE: I adore the show. The show was just so uplifting. A master class in tailoring, lightness, sexuality, and vibrance. She’s so good at honoring heritage and at the same time bringing an inimitable breath of modernity and intelligent new ideas about what a woman is. I am in love with this collection.

DARA: I’m going to hire you to write my press releases.

CHRISTIE: I am hired. Oh my god. Mel Ottenberg, ladies and gentlemen. [Kiss]

DARA: Wait, I need a photo of all of this. Fabulous!

OTTENBERG: We love to model.

ROACH: What other shows are we going to? Do we even care?

DARA: I think this is the only one today.

OTTENBERG: I’m like, show me a suit that looks cool, a suit that a woman should buy but is really amazing. Show me a dress that’s not for everyone, but is really for life. I feel like we got that. I want something grounded in reality. The world’s too fucked up right now to not see some stuff that’s really desirable. And Law said it best: it’s for different women.

ROACH: Because it’s a woman designing for women, so that’s what the fucking difference is.

DARA: Complexity.

OTTENBERG: And I don’t mean it’s for everybody. There were dresses that most people can’t pull off.

DARA: But the right one will. 

ROACH: The leather dress with the back out though. The high neck and the nothing back.

DARA: Oh my god. Marisa Berenson is here. She is looking amazing and gorgeous and I’m dying.

OTTENBERG: Hello, Marisa. I’m Mel Ottenberg, the editor of Interview.

MARISA BERENSON: Nice to meet you.

OTTENBERG: Any thoughts on the show today?

BERENSON: Oh, I loved it. You’re so elegant, look at you.

OTTENBERG: I mean, you look great.

BERENSON: I feel like Greta Garbo.

DARA: Yes, it’s very Garbo.

OTTENBERG: That’s really fantastic, so chic.

DARA: You are giving Garbo.

OTTENBERG: Yseult is right there.

YSEULT: Ça va?

DARA: Hello, babe. You look gorgeous. What did you think of the show?

YSEULT: Emotional. Like for real, for real.

DARA: Love.

YSEULT: Emotional.

DARA: I mean, what else can you say? Paolo Roversi is hugging Sarah Burton right now. It is very hard to reach the mountaintop, but we are so close. We are one person away. 

CHRISTIE: How’s my lipstick?

DARA: Your lipstick’s perfect.

CHRISTIE: Are you sure?

OTTENBERG: I’m sure.

DARA: [Dara and Mel approach Sarah Burton] Hi, Sarah!

SARAH BURTON: Hi! This is so chic.

DARA: No, that was so chic. Thank you so much. I’m so happy to see you.

BURTON: It’s so good to see you. You look so beautiful.

DARA: Oh, thank you. Congratulations!

BURTON: Thank you.

DARA: All right, we just said hi to Sarah Burton. I forgot to get a selfie with her, but you can imagine that we’re both glowing. Goodbye everybody.