Lanvin A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's

Scene setting: Scattered around Paris are a few historic buildings favoured by fashion and regularly used as show venues, from the Ecole de Beaux-Arts to the Palais de Tokyo. Why the Manufacture des Gobelins is not among them is a mystery, so we have to thank Lanvin for revealing it to the fashion pack yesterday. Located in the Rive Gauche, the building was commissioned in 1662 by Louis XIV’s minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert in order to bring together all the artisan ateliers working for the state. Today, it also hosts a museum showcasing an array of colourful furniture and tapestries dating from the 15th century. It was here that Bruno Sialelli chose to show his latest co-ed offering.
Moodboard: Even before the show began, there was something cinematic about it. Paired with the extravagant surroundings was Angelo Badalamenti’s jazzy Twin Peaks score. That Sialelli is a film buff was made clear through the music choice, taken from Russ Meyer’s unforgettable Faster Pussycat! kill kill! and from Hitchcok’s Music to be murdered by. The collection had a certain kind of movie glamour to them too, albeit more in a ‘60’s Italian jet-setter' kind of way. If the 20s and the 40s — Jeanne Lanvin’s lifetime — were also referenced, it was mainly through coats fitted at the waist and mid-calf lace dresses. Elsewhere, shapes were cocoon-like, colours delicate, collars consistently furry and the general look was a sort of twisted old school ladylike charm (with the least explored twisted part being the most intriguing). Bejewelled evening dresses in pastel tones, embroidered at the straps with pearls and crystals, closed the show in a tasteful, very Lanvin way.
Finishing touches: Flat mid-calf boots completed the mini skirt looks, reinforcing the 60s inspiration (and were often paired with long leather gloves, faux-fur collars and extra large clip-on earrings). But, for men, accessories brought on a more louche attitude. Who knew a long silk Isadora Duncan-worthy scarf would look so good over a tuxedo? The real accessory winner, though, were the very insta-worthy bags, ranging from the mini lunchbox-shaped (complete with lipstick kisses) to the patisserie box-inspired in tan, cream and pale blue tones. How the millennials and the Gen Z will respond to this kind of pieces will determine the buzziness of the brand in the next few months.
Lanvin A/W 2020
Lanvin A/W 2020
Lanvin A/W 2020
Lanvin A/W 2020
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
In Vietnam, Amanoi’s most indulgent residence yet is almost hidden on an East Sea clifftop
Aman’s ‘place of peace’ in Vietnam introduces the Amanoi Ocean Pool Residence, an architectural feat complete with its own private beach and spa
-
Yinka Ilori just teamed up with M.A.D. Editions on a trio of ultra-colourful watches
But hurry – you'll need to enter a raffle to score one for yourself
-
The Hasselblad X2D II 100C takes the iconic camera brand to a new level of sophistication
Sweden’s most sophisticated camera manufacturer announces a new flagship medium-format digital camera and zoom lens
-
How Bureau Betak transformed the runway show: ‘Our currency is emotion and memory’
Pioneering production company Bureau Betak has masterminded some of the most inspiring runway sets of the last 30 years, dazzling both real-life guests and an ever-growing virtual global audience. Hugo Macdonald meets the people behind the magic
-
‘Never copy the past’: how Nicolas Di Felice is taking Courrèges into the future
At Courrèges, artistic director Nicolas Di Felice is marrying radical thinking, raving and reinterpreted minimalist codes to give the French fashion house a new dynamism. Hannah Tindle heads to Paris to meet the designer
-
Glenn Martens’ thrilling Maison Margiela debut was a balancing act between past, present and future
The Belgian designer made his debut for the house last night with a collection that looked towards medieval decoration for a new expression of opulence
-
Art meets perfume in cross-disciplinary fragrance series Nez 1+1
Talents from film and fragrance come together to create Ansongo, the latest scent resulting from a creative matchmaking project by perfume revue Nez
-
Haute Couture Week A/W 2025: what to expect
Five moments to look out for at Haute Couture Week A/W 2025 in Paris (starting Monday 7 July), from Glenn Martens’ debut for Maison Margiela to Demna’s Balenciaga swansong. Plus, ‘new beginnings’ from JW Anderson
-
The collections you might have missed this S/S 2026 menswear season
Between the headliners in Paris, Milan and Florence, a few off-schedule displays are deserving of honourable mention – from Martine Rose’s sexually-charged portrait of Kensington Market to Sander Lak’s appointment-only namesake debut
-
‘They gave me carte blanche to do what I want’: Paul Kooiker photographs the students of Gerrit Rietveld Academie for Acne Studios
Heralding the launch of a new permanent gallery from fashion label Acne Studios, the celebrated Dutch photographer’s new body of work praises the bravery of ‘people who choose to go to an art school at a time like this’
-
‘I’m surprised that I got this far’: Rick Owens on his bombastic Paris retrospective, ‘Temple of Love’
The Dark Prince of Fashion sits down with Wallpaper* to discuss legacy, love, and growing old in Paris as a display at the Palais Galliera tells the story of his subversive career