Some of the truest assessments are made off the record. Today, fashion journalist Anabel Maldonado and fashion stylist Nicholas Hilton message back on forth on Instagram to recap Givenchy Spring '18 Couture by Clare Waight Keller.

(BEFORE THE SHOW)

AM: It starts in half an hour. This will be interesting as Clare is so talented, and people had really high expectations of her debut at Givenchy, yet the collection certainly left most of us wanting more...

NH: I didn’t care for her RTW. I can’t wait to see her couture. Especially since everyone loved Riccardo’s.

AM: Yeah, it was a bit underwhelming and a bit too safe. She’ll have to bring some edge to couture for sure. True, some of those collections from Tisci circa '11 and '12 are still very well-ingrained in my memory...

NH: Riccardo’s was so iconic. I mean, I’ve been following fashion for ten years now and back then, his Givenchy was just...everything.

(DURING THE SHOW)

NH: It's so good.

AM: I want to wed in this.

NH: I want to be buried in this.

NH: That blue.

AM: Ice queen blue!

(AFTER THE SHOW)

NH: That was incredible! I went into it not knowing what to expect. I’m truly blown away by this collection!

AM: Same, I am having a real visceral reaction here, which started with that tiered multi-toned skirt. I know we've seen long tiered skirts at Alberta Ferretti and a few others shows, but this colour combo and texture is really singular.

NH: Yes, yes. I loved all that structural suiting in the opening. And tinsel!

AM: Yes, and the open backs and silhouettes in general were a dream.

AM: The embellished tassels seemed like a nod to Tisci’s work and gave it the tough-luxe edge the debut collection was missing.

NH: Yes, my thoughts exactly. It was respectful, but still very new and true to herself.