Not gonna lie, this collection had me scratching my damn head at first glance. It’s obviously futuristic and apocalyptic, but it also conveys an image 10x tougher than the past Lanvin man, who I like to imagine permanently sitting in a plushly decorated room, sipping tea, and flipping through magazines. The presentation was a little too Rick Owens for me (and by that I’m only referring to the sterile white background). However, if you look at the details a little closer, that image is still there only under layers of frayed textiles, patches, and leather. Maybe it was the addition of the corset-like zipper belts that threw me off… or maybe it was the skinny headbands. Whatever the case, my initial confusion regarding the collection was due to Ossendrijver really pushing his established Lanvin-image to the very edge, successfully introducing new ideas while building off of a reliable base.
According to WWD, Elbaz said that the knitwear was “a protective shield” for the wearer… Yeah, I feel like everyone who creates a more “edgy” or street-style collection likes to refer to everything as metaphorical armor or a shield when they really are not. While the layers and intricate details do add more bulk, they’re still decidedly very Lanvin, and thus retain that ductile ease.
Lanvin Autumn/Winter 2010/11 Collection
Photos: Vogue UK
Not gonna lie, this collection had me scratching my damn head at first glance. It’s obviously futuristic and apocalyptic, but it also conveys an image 10x tougher than the past Lanvin man, who I like to imagine permanently sitting in a plushly decorated room, sipping tea, and flipping through magazines. The presentation was a little too Rick Owens for me (and by that I’m only referring to the sterile white background). However, if you look at the details a little closer, that image is still there only under layers of frayed textiles, patches, and leather. Maybe it was the addition of the corset-like zipper belts that threw me off… or maybe it was the skinny headbands. Whatever the case, my initial confusion regarding the collection was due to Ossendrijver really pushing his established Lanvin-image to the very edge, successfully introducing new ideas while building off of a reliable base.
According to WWD, Elbaz said that the knitwear was “a protective shield” for the wearer… Yeah, I feel like everyone who creates a more “edgy” or street-style collection likes to refer to everything as metaphorical armor or a shield when they really are not. While the layers and intricate details do add more bulk, they’re still decidedly very Lanvin, and thus retain that ductile ease.