Paris Fashion Week: At Lanvin, luxury for every woman
There were three tiny front-row places between them, but one enormous divide. At the Lanvin show on Thursday night, beloved first lady of French film Catherine Deneuve, dressed in a conservative black dress and heels, sat nearly next to reality TV show royalty Kim Kardashian, popping cleavage in a low-cut tuxedo jacket and no shirt, and hubbie Kanye West. It was the old and the new wave. And that’s exactly what Lanvin and its self-deprecating and lovingly chubby designer, Alber Elbaz, have always been about: luxury for every woman, whether she’s covered up in the chicest silk tent dress you’ve ever seen, or letting it all hang out.
That theme of inclusion played out on the runway when the models started coming out -- famous faces from yesteryear, including Amber Valetta in a new, closely cropped haircut.
The collection touched on many familiar Elbaz-for-Lanvin themes (tribalism, interesting use of embroidery, forgiving silhouettes) in an easy, low-key way.
The look: Loose luxe for every woman.
Key pieces: Long jersey tank dresses, chemises and caftans, slit for ease of movement, and accented with discreet decoration such as gold, ladder-like embroidery up one side, molded metal hardware at the shoulders, or dangling chain fringe. Zouave pants worn with tailcoat. Mini-dresses in collaged lace, a woodland pattern brocade, or with pearl accents, some with rough, unfinished edges.
The verdict: The word “effortless” is tossed around a lot when talking about fashion, especially spring fashion. But I’m going to use it again. These clothes seemed effortless -- easy to wear, easy to understand, easy for Elbaz to create and construct. The no-makeup makeup look on the models, and their casual, upswept hair, added to the vibe. And right now, in the midst of the street style circus of Fashion Week, nothing seems quite so chic as not trying so hard.
