Paris Autumn/Winter '08

Lanvin, Autumn/Winter 2008 (scroll down to read more)
Lanvin
At the end of the 4-stop fashion week circuit, with some really outstanding collections in all four cities, there is one collection that women adore and pine for, and that is Lanvin. On the last night of Paris we were treated to another vintage collection (actually we can not think of an Albert Elbaz for Lanvin collection that was not vintage). Elbaz does for the dress what Richard Rogers did for architecture; instead of hiding the construction of the garments, he turns them inside out. Seams are exposed, hems are left unfinished, zips are on the outside and darts are pressed open for all to see. And there is so much beauty as a result. He has a language in cloth (laundered wools and silks) that gives his garments a kind of fragility, whilst at the same a toughness. His real genius is in the cut and for this season he excelled yet again, by constructing outfits entirely from ribbon, wrapping or draping metres of the stuff round the body to create the shape in a way that only he could do. The stunning results are so seductive that the little matter of the price (so expensive) won't seem to matter at all.