Lanvin – Alber’s devilish side
Alber Elbaz has a dark side. The s.s 2012 Lanvin collection he showed Friday was one of his best. He managed to bring a bit of the devil into his beautiful world. The one key element ( other than the dark more sinister styling ) was his new small but important shoulder he quietly slipped in that provided a newer silhouette. It worked beautifully. Shoulder pads can often appear cartoon-like but in this case…. you felt strength and confidence.
What was equally surprising was that the man known for his dresses made a true stab at “sportswear.” He’s more limited in this area but what Alber was able to conjure up worked well to propel this collection forward and give the Lanvin woman something new to look forward to.
photos courtesy : Yannis Vlamos / GoRunway.com
LANVIN Fall 2011 – ad campaign
This Lanvin f.w 2011 ad campaign video is shot by Steven Meisel…. A+ for originality and smile factor.
This shot from the finale of the runway show isn’t shabby either.
LANVIN @ H&M – Hiver 2010
It’s been well over a month since my last post. Fashion week in Paris wrapped up and as I was finalizing the last of the orders, I took what was left to be done with me and headed to the U.S. on vacation. Since my return to Lyon, I fell into one of those mini writing ruts. I chalk it up to lack of fashion stimulation. THEN…. a major event takes place around the world…. well, major enough to get me moving for a retail outing…..
It’s Tuesday, November 23rd. Here in Lyon, Paris, Madrid, New York, Tokyo, Kuwait, Shanghai, London, Antwerp, Warsaw, Seoul, Glasgow and at least a hundred more locations… Alber Elbaz joined forces with the mighty Swedish retailer H&M and rolled out both a special men’s and women’s collection, Lanvin H&M.
I don’t know about all the other cities, but when I inquired about this auspicious day, I was duly informed that the store would open at 8am this Tuesday and entry into the store would be on a first come first serve bracelet system. First come first serve means you arrive the earliest possible, you wait. You get first dibs on the 31 women’s r-t-w styles and a nice selection of accessories and shoes as well as the 23 men’s r-t-w styles and some manly accessories which include the infamous Alber noeud papillon or bow tie. I am not sure if this was entirely true, but this is a one time thing and there will be no second deliveries or reorders.
I can get as excited about a major fashion tremor as the next fashion person, but because I have my wits about me, I strolled into the store here in Lyon at approximately 1:30pm. The queues were gone outside the store and no one was there to offer me a bracelet for entry. I wouldn’t be needing one at this hour. Fashion tardiness. I walked into the second floor area where they were housing Lanvin Women’s and I understood where all the staff had gone. Here they all were, trying to clean up after the carnage that took place for the past 4 hours or so. I am relieved I wasn’t here earlier.
You often hear that after Stella McCartney and Karl Lagerfeld every last piece was sold in the first 2 hours. Well…. I can personally attest that there might have been some exaggeration, but before my eyes, I witnessed that just about most of it was gone. There were walls that were bare of clothes in the shop they had provided. I cannot lie and say that there were no clothes left… but it appeared to be multiples of the same 5 styles that were left and a smattering of shoes and necklaces. The styles in multiples that remained must have been real duds because everything else was GONE. Literally. The one style that had the most leftover is the one on the mannequin to the right in the above photo. It’s eerily similar to a style from the pre Spring 2011 collection that I just sold in the showroom in Paris this past July. Albeit… the tulle was stiffer… ok, a lot lot lot stiffer and it was a bit too full. It would take up way more space than your dining companions could stand at your next dinner party table or dance floor… but the retail was only 199 euros. ( not even 10% of the original price! ) I love the dress and wonder why the crowd left it behind… too sophisticated? Too expensive? It seems the items that didn’t sell to the piece were the higher ticket items. Those that were closer to the 200 euros mark. There were tee shirts that started for 20-29 euros and it went up from there for dresses, trench coats, skirts, jackets. The collection was predominantly re-dos of the dresses Alber is so known and loved for.
I then headed up to the next floor to the men’s area. The aftermath was not as grim just as I imagined. A quick perusal and a quick sigh… here, too, the best pieces were sold out. Having pre-scouted the offerings on the website beforehand, I knew what I wanted to zero in on. But alas… I was going to go home empty handed. WAIT… what’s that? Out of the corner of my eye, behind 20 of the same patchwork leopard print tee shirts that no man will be wearing in Lyon, I spot a lonesome short, dark blue, 3 button, glenn plaid jacket with black ribbon trim hiding itself.
I grab at the hang tag… IT’S MY SIZE! It’s been sitting here waiting for me. What a stroke of luck that had nothing to do with timing because I was late, late, late by fashionista clocks. It’s also one of my favorite styles I had been eyeing on the website. While I was trying it on… two clients walked up to me and asked where I found it ( I sadly replied that it was the last one on the rack ) and if I was really going to buy it? Of course I was taking it. I didn’t let it go of it the rest of the time I was in the store.
Alber Elbaz and Lucas Ossendrijver, Lanvin’s Men’s designer, did an amazing collaboration with H&M. The collections were tight and well priced and very obviously hit the right note with its customer base. The clothes looked great for the price. I am certain that in cities like Paris, New York, London, Kuwait… there were plenty of Lanvin devotees that have never set foot in an H&M until this event. The Lanvin team and H&M even did a special garment bag, hanger and shopping bag for this special day. They truly went the whole route for this joint project.
As far as high profile designers and mass retailers go… why not? It’s usually a one time thing and PR is off the charts for both the designer and mass retailer. It spikes sales in a major way and then it’s over. NEXT! The only two designers that have signed on for a bit more of a longer term stay is Jil Sander at Uniqlo and Olivier Theyskens now at Theory. ( Theory isn’t quite mass but you get what I mean ) I still believe that with these collaborations, luxury remains special as it is meant to be, but for a fleeting moment, a designer can reach further into more people’s closets. Clients who have the same desires and tastes, but because of a little thing like economic boundaries, would never see a Lanvin cocktail dress but in a magazine, has access to it at their price point for a few limited days if not hours. Nothing wrong with that in my opinion.
Crossing the Divide – Lanvin
The other great working experience was chez LANVIN in Paris. The women’s s.s 2011 pre-collection was shown in at an immense space at the Cite de la Mode et du Design on the quai d’Austerlitz in the 13th arrondissement. This new space dedicated to French Design and Fashion was designed by the architect team of Dominique Jakob and Brendan MacFarlane. This work is a conversion of concrete warehouses dating back to 1907 built right on the left bank of the Seine by gare d’ Austerlitz.
The team at Lanvin was polished, organized and great to work with. That says a lot when they hired over 30 freelance sellers for this pre-collection.
The LANVIN pre s.s 2011 collection was as beautiful and complete a collection I have ever worked. It was well edited and the presentation by Alber Elbaz made you fall in love with this collection over and over again. His raison d’etre is simply… “What do women want? ” He answered his own question in this pre-collection. Reversible tulle trim little black dresses, the newest versions of the Lanvin trench, deconstructed tailoring, flowing python print silk, jewel tone washed silk and a white marriage collection. One piece more exquisite than another. Alber also introduced a very strong capsule of swimwear with a high glamour quotient.
Working on the other side of the table and selling the collection to other buyers was a natural transition. Learn the collection, know the computer system, understand the store and clientele you’re working with, be attuned to how the buyer and the team you’re working with likes to write the collection. But once a buyer, always a buyer. I found myself not just showing the collection but already editing and pre selecting for the stores I worked with… with a merchant’s eye. This was actually appreciated in the end. For me, a perfect opportunity. Multi-tasking and doing two jobs at the same time.
Photos of the pre s/s 2011 collection here on style.com .
Come runway s.s 2011, I will return to the buyer side of the table in Milan and Paris.
Photos LANVIN.
