The Luxe Chronicles is excited to report that there will be a lot more to love from Alber Elbaz and the House of Lanvin in the new year! The label is embarking upon a massive expansion push with an aim to opening approximately a dozen boutiques around the world including emerging luxury markets such as Istanbul, Dubai, Moscow and Delhi over the next twelve months and stores in London, New York, Los Angeles and Milan to be opened within two years. What excites me about this expansion is that there are no plans to add new lines. This is very good news as too often, "expansion" in fashion industry terms translates into cheaper "diffusion lines" and licensing deals which dilute the brand and cheapen the overall image of a fashion house. Rather, Lanvin will be developing the categories of merchandise they currently produce and focusing on retail expansion to boost sales.
Under the direction of Alber Elbaz, the House of Lanvin has managed to revive a brand that had been left to gather dust and transform it into a cutting edge label favored by the fashion cognoscenti. Elbaz, after previously frustrating experiences at Guy Laroche and Yves Saint-Laurent - Rive Gauche, seems to finally have come into his own as a designer and it shows in the direction he's taken the House of Lanvin. In addition to the gorgeous cocktail dresses which have become his calling-card, Elbaz has developed a beautiful and influential accessories collection. His tulle-wrapped pearl necklaces from several seasons ago are credited (correctly, I think) with having spearheaded a revival of the costume jewelry trend which had not been seen since the 40's and 50's when fashion houses such as Chanel and Dior habitually turned out exquisite costume jewelry collections to complement their apparel. Most importantly however, he's managed to sidestep the "it" bag pitfall whereby the brand's fashion collections become a pretext to showcase shoes and especially handbags, the cash cow of the fashion industry. In short, Elbaz' genius during his tenure at Lanvin has been about putting forth his particular brand of restrained luxury. The genius of Lanvin's management has been about letting him. Well done!
Photographic References:
Row 1: Lanvin Spring 2008 Collection; Designer Alber Elbaz; Lanvin Spring 2008 Collection. All photos by Marcio Madeira.
Row 2: All accessories from Lanvin's Spring 2008 Collection. All photos by Don Ashby and Olivier Claisse.
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