Giovanna Englebert has been infusing her distinctive style into Swarovski’s collections for six years now, but this PFW was the first time the house revealed a full array of the universe she’s been building—from crystal statement pieces to fine jewelry set with lab grown diamonds and vibrant decorative objects inspired by the 18th-century Bergl apartments at Schönbrunn Palace.
While the Swarovski emblem has long been the swan, the holiday assortment takes its attributes to a whole new level. The inspiration, Englebert explained, was not only the Viennese crystal-maker’s 130-plus years of expertise. “It actually started with the 2025 Met Gala,” the global creative director said during a private walkthrough.
Photo: Courtesy of Swarovski
“When I first heard the theme was Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, I thought, wait a sec, this swan is a bit of a dandy animal,” she recalled. The feather-inspired crystal collar worn by Adut Akech, the custom blue coat embroidered with more than 50,000 Swarovski elements worn by Sora Choi, and the feathered necklace and headpiece Englebert chose for the red carpet have since inspired myriad “unapologetically glamorous” creations. Among them: bespoke statement pieces—feathers, bows, and wing-shaped links on lavish necklaces—or, in a more minimalist/maximalist vein, tiered strands of faceted crystal discs cut flat, light and larger than a silver dollar. That particular cut was also a first: “We wanted to be very out there,” Englebert noted. “We wanted to give our engineering lots of love: it’s shiny and very sparkly and we’re very proud to be crystal.”
While she was at it, she also created a trio of crystal-embellished mini-dresses: a particularly swan-like bustier will soon appear on Ariana Grande for the house’s holiday campaign. “We want to address the swan in a very abstract, modern yet iconic way,” Englebert explained of the dress shown center, here.
Photo: Courtesy of Swarovski
