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Last season Alber Elbaz celebrated his tenth anniversary at Lanvin with a live rendition of ‘Que Sera Sera’ that had the crowd singing along in delight. This season, the Israeli designer put the party behind him, and re-emerged on the runway hard, serious and tough. Yes, the Lanvin lady’s all grown up. Elbaz kick-started a new decade at the French luxury house with a fierce jet black colour palette and an elegant, mature selection of evening wear, tuxedo jackets and gowns. Inspired by the neo-classical beauty of the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts, where his show was set, Elbaz’s dresses were expertly crafted, cinched at the waist and slit to the thigh. Deconstructed tuxedo jackets possessed a new sharpness with contrasting white lining, while black swimsuits teamed with tailored trousers brought a whole new meaning to streamlined elegance. We particularly loved the statue prints that adorned elegant white shift dresses (and referenced the many white classical busts of the beaux-arts setting) and the unexpected pop of colour at the end. The accessories are always brilliant at Lanvin, and this season’s collection of circular evening bags and razor sharp heels, with delicate ankle straps, are guaranteed to help you stand out from the crowd. As Elbaz explained to journalists backstage after the show, “Nobody wants to fade into the wall.” We couldn’t agree more, not that it would be possible when dresses possess as much bite as this!
Text: Holly Shackleton
Photography: Mitchell Sams
See all of our SS13 womenswear coverage here.
