Givenchy in Paris: Waight Keller embraces purity

For her third haute couture show, Clare Waight Keller went ultramodern with latex and a white shell of a catwalk

Haute couture is a real-life industry based on making fairytale dresses. Clare Waight Keller’s credentials in the fairytale dress category were proved beyond doubt on 19 May last year, when the Givenchy wedding gown she designed for Meghan Markle was an instant fashion hit.

Having aced that test, Waight Keller now gets to have some fun. On Tuesday in Paris, in her third haute couture show, she collaborated with Atsuko Kudo, the London-based latex specialist who made Beyonce’s tour costumes, on liquid-shine leggings which were worn under sheer lace dresses in place of the more conventional petticoats. And instead of the exquisite opera clutches that are haute couture’s go-to bag shape, Waight Keller accessorised the collection with giant squishy backpacks edged with angel wings.