Lanvin Fall 2009

I am quite taken with the pictures of the Lanvin Fall 2009 collection, just shown in Paris and designed by Alber Elbaz. This collection looks very beautiful, romantic, wearable, French. Cathy Horyn at The Times writes about it here, and you can see the collection here.

Lanvin is the oldest French fashion house. Known for her fluid shapes, floral colors and intricate beading, Jeanne Lanvin was one of the great designers in Paris in the 1920's and 30's. Her perfume Lanvin Arpege is still popular today. Here is Jeanne Lanvin at work in her office, painted by Edouard Vuillard in 1933:


Jeanne Lanvin had a daughter Marguerite who married Comte Jean de Polignac, from one of the oldest and grandest families in France. Below is Marguerite, Comtesse de Polignac, at home in her apartment in Paris, also painted by Vuillard. It's one of my favorite paintings of an interior. I love the airy proportions of the rooms, the floral wallpaper, the leggy furniture, the leafy trees through the window. She looks contented and relaxed at home.


Since 2001, Israeli-born Alber Elbaz has been the creative director at Lanvin which is now also popular for its menswear. The Fall 2009 collection is very glamorous, with clothes cut close to the body on the bias. Draped and fitted, the pieces are like sculpture that flatter the figure. Very structured, very chic, and easy to put together -- just toss on a fur shrug, and voila, out the door!






Feathers on a headband offer a touch of mystique.


Rectangular sunglasses evoke Peggy Guggenheim.


Long black leather gloves accentuate the slender line.


A slim envelope is the opposite of a ginormous "It" bag.


Fur, silk, leather, chic.


Monsieur Elbaz takes a well-deserved bow.