Count yourself lucky at a chance to embark on a front-row viewing of Samantha Giraud’s latest designs during Paris Fashion Week at Salons Marceau where the privileged got to witness her latest SS20 runway entitled “HK1950”, also called The Time Keeper.

This designer, wife and mother of two who started her career in 2003, splits her time between Hong Kong and Paris, where she once studied at the world-renowned “Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne”.  Her latest ready-to-wear styles were inspired by a combination of the global women’s empowerment movement, Hong Kong’s economic revival of their textile industry after WWII, and her parents’ 1950s generation.

Shining a light on women’s self-care and self-confidence throughout, Samantha Giraud’s day-to-night outfits could fit anywhere from the office, in a retro a-lined or pencil skirt and chic blazer, to a social evening, in a beautiful slim-fitting and romantic strappy cocktail dress or pantsuit with a sexy diagonal midriff top. Her casual line displayed flowing jumpers and feminine skirts matched with pretty patterned shirts and t-shirts printed with self-love declarations like, “I Love Me”, “Je M’citme” (translated from French, “I’m Excited”) , “I Married Myself”, and “Time Keeper”.

However, do not describe this designer’s pieces as simple; her boldness shows clearly in how she dares to push the limits with her ideas and even color outside the lines of creativity by mixing and matching shimmering and bold solids or pin-striped patterns simultaneously with vivid clusters of flowers and bright splashes of color. This boldness is also evident in her form-fitting leather dresses with flashy flamenco bases, as well as her bubble dresses and pantsuits with fringes or shear trimmings. Some of her outfits gave both an ethereal and feminine look combined with a sporty and modern edge; and, drawing from the Japanese pop culture, her dresses often gave the models the appearance of life-sized porcelain dolls.  Definite stand-out pieces were the over-sized jacket dress with exaggerated collar, shoulders and sleeves worn over vibrant red stockings, and her finale, a wedding dress lined from top to bottom with clusters of tulle and silk fabric flowers, a solid white version of a pattern repeated in various colors, as seen in some of her other formal wear selections. 

Normally, behind the scenes at an average runway show, it is not easy to follow the rush and bustle of models quickly changing outfits, getting hair and make-up done in record time and strolling out into a poised row of beautiful outfits, giving a pseudo-air of calm and serenity.  However, behind the scenes at HK1950, the feeling was as sincere and relaxed as the designer’s SS20 fashion line. Without losing their composure, each model calmly and confidently flowed into their outfits, then on toward the final touch-up of make-up and a quick brush through of their similarly bone-straight, long tresses...exemplifying the beauty, poise and confidence of this designer’s outfits. 

You may ask, who is Samantha Giraud?  The answer is in the way she re-introduces and blends the past with the present through beauty, creativity and culture...she is The Time Keeper.

Photographs courtesy Christian François Photos, who reached out to us. We would like to thank him for his gracious contribution.