For me, Lanvin is luxury. Not because it is one of the oldest established couture houses in Paris, founded in 1909 (the same year as Chanel). Not because its flagship boutique on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré is breathtaking. Not even because of how it feels, the instant transportation to the interior of a jewelry box and being beheld by the critical eyes of reserved shopkeepers.
No, Lanvin impresses by how the actual clothes feel and fit, the craftsmanship, the timelessness. Lanvin is, and has always been, fundamentally about women. Historically the logo is a mother and daughter, representing clothes for women that will be passed down and coveted, transcending trend; everlasting and precious. Lanvin is the draping, the fabric, the tailoring.
Since 2001, under Alber Elbaz as creative director, Lanvin has brought all focus back to clothes for women. He is charming, cuddly, bespectacled and bow-tied – and absolutely genius. Elbaz loves women utterly and completely, as his muse and as his artistic inspiration, and women love him.
He may be less glamorous and conceptual than other, more difficult-to-wear designers because his passion is, above all else, making women feel beautiful. He doesn’t care for pushing boundaries, making statements or innovation for the sake of innovation; he creates what women want season after season.
And soon his fans will be able to purchase his aesthetic with Lanvin’s new collection for H&M.
Lanvin is the perfect fit for H&M because of Elbaz. As he put it himself, this project is all about “translating the dream of luxury.” The universal factor that ties the language of Lanvin proper to this collection is Elbaz’s design philosophy.
The new collection is about clothes to fit women’s lives. Instead of diluting Lanvin for the masses, these are dresses designed for women – not only the ones that have exorbitant amounts of money. Oftentimes collaborations like this become generic, polyester messes, but anchoring this collection are quintessentially Lanvin-style elements that make this capsule collection successful.
The focus on skin in his most recent show, spring-summer 2011, is reinterpreted here in the nude scoop-neck dresses. Throughout the whole collection, the silhouettes of his spring-summer 2010 line featuring dramatic one-shoulder ruffles and asymmetric gathering showcases his craftsmanship and attention to each proportion on pleat and drape. The heels from last spring are also redone here with satin ankle straps instead of leather. Some of his other signatures also make it to H&M, like his childlike illustrations and love of elbow-length Audrey Hepburn leather gloves.
Elbaz is also known for well-executed costume jewelry, which makes it to the H&M in aesthetic, if not with real pearls.
Come Nov. 23, you can find me in a tent in Union Square, ready to get as close to Lanvin as my budget will allow.