THROWBACKS were on the agenda for the design team designated to fill the void that Alber Elbaz’s shock departure in October of last year left at the Paris-based fashion house, Lanvin. A throwback to Alber’s heyday as creative director instead of a throwback to prom night circa 1987 would have been a little more well-received by the fashion pack however.
This writer, for one, is certainly not adverse to an assembly of garments that seem more suited to dress the cast of a glitzy 1980s soap opera, but in 2016 this was simply not the right move for a fashion house going through a difficult time that should be regaling its clientele with an other-worldly elegance.
Of course, it wasn’t all bad, the power-suited silhouettes evidenced a kind of admirable steadfastness in the face of everything and pretty frocks were decked out with all the trimmings; opulently eccentric fur stoles, yards of your granny’s costume jewellery, and some lovely lamé lace. Making AW16 an all but half-hearted attempt to create a collection only a thieving magpie could love.
Breaking down this collection and perfecting some of its strengths, the jewelled lapels at the end, the stoles adhered to left shoulders and indeed, even some of the strong shouldered looks that worked, would have made AW16 a little less messy.
A collection like this however, without the clear voice that Alber interpreted excellently almost every time, presented in workaday venue unfortunately fell flatter than a Lanvin collection deserves to. Maybe next time, just not maybe this time, to lyrically quote Liza Minnelli in Cabaret.
by Liam Feltham
Images courtesy of Lanvin