Paris Fashion Week

Lanvin
With one of the strongest collections of the season, Albert Elbaz triumphed at Lanvin and received a standing innovation from the assembled audience. Working his genius cutting and draping skills with silk cloth, his work defies traditional pattern making. Instead he takes the fabric, raw at the edge and drapes, gathers and folds it, holding it in place with exposed zips, fastenings or stitches. The construction although often seen on the outside still does not offer clues as to how the dresses are actually put together.

Washed silk dresses and trench coats matched in the same shades of sand, flesh, grey and navy opened the show. Elbaz went on to show short dresses, one more stunning than the last, in bright jewelled tones of washed satin, a signature material. Some were heavily embellished, tone on tone with feathers and embroidery, but it was mainly the architectural possibilities of the ruffle that Elbaz explored. Interspersed through the short, were six stunning long gowns in billowing satin.

Images: Trendstop.com