'All or nothing' was Alber Elbaz's approach for spring, launching into the house's 125th anniversary celebrations with a series of pared-back, long sheaths that served to highlight his ageless casting that linked-in familiar faces Violetta Sanchez, Amber Valletta and Kirsten Owen. Real boobs were embraced, if not shown off, thanks to his metallic net tanks worn under timeless tailoring. However, rather than a collective trend message, Elbaz sent out a wardrobe made up of great individual looks. Sure, many seemingly had little to do with the next, but each was effortlessly beautiful in their own right - just as we have come to expect from Elbaz. Entering the 'all' phase he then draped dresses spliced with panels of monochrome French lace followed by a moody flora-fauna print (taken from a screen by Armand-Albert Rateau, who designed Jeanne Lanvin's original quarters) that decorated jacquard pants and diaphanous dresses. Overall, the season served to reinforce Elbaz's design belief that his role is to craft clothes for real women, rather than outfits to be paraded. Although in spite of this, many of his metal accented mini shifts and fluid gowns are sure to make a red carpet entry at Lanvin's upcoming retrospective at the Palais Galleria next March.
Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
