he said in a panel discussion not long ago that he hasn't been able to sketch since, and it had been the better part of a year.
Based on the last few Lanvin collections, I'd say he has stopped sketching a long time ago.
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he said in a panel discussion not long ago that he hasn't been able to sketch since, and it had been the better part of a year.
^^At this point, isn't it safe to say he can do great at any big company like that? Whether it's ODLR here in the States; or Lanvin, YSL, Chanel, and Dior in Europe, the man is really the best of the best, IMO. And I'm talking about our actual pure design skills, not accessories and/or advertising prowess.
Regardless, his talent is way too strong to be beat, so no matter where he winds up, I'm sure he'll amaze us all when he returns. And until that moment comes, I'll be waiting very, very patiently.
reutersStar designer Alber Elbaz, whose abrupt exit from Lanvin a year ago shocked the fashion world, is back in action, this time dressing women with perfume.
Elbaz, for 14 years at the creative helm of Lanvin, France's oldest fashion brand, on Monday announced he had created a perfume called Superstitious for the French perfume house Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle.
Frederic Malle is a niche perfume brand, part of U.S. cosmetics giant Estee Lauder since 2014. Elbaz worked with perfume creator or "nose" Dominique Ropion, who is behind Frederic Malle's best-selling scents.
French perfumer Frederic Malle, who lives in New York, is the only perfume company director who markets scents as the work of a "nose" as would a publisher for its writers.
Niche perfumes are enjoying bigger sales growth than big brands, analysts say, as consumers increasingly tire of those backed by celebrities which they find resemble one another.
The fragrance created with Elbaz marks the second time Frederic Malle has worked with a designer, having collaborated with Belgium's Dries van Noten in 2013.
Elbaz made the announcement after receiving the Legion of Honour, one of France's most prestigious accolades, from Culture Minister Audrey Azoulay at the ministry's salons, in a ceremony attended by more than 100 people, among them many familiar faces from Lanvin, including former chief executives Thierry Andretta, now head of Mulberry, and Paul Deneve, now at Apple.
The atmosphere was that of an alumni gathering with many stylists, fashion editors and buyers who had not seen Elbaz since his departure from Lanvin in October last year.
Elbaz was sacked after a spat with the brand's controlling shareholder Taiwanese media magnate Shaw-Lan Wang. Partly stoking tensions was the fact that Wang did not want to make the investments Elbaz thought were necessary to help the brand grow, sources had told Reuters.
Wang had rejected several offers for Lanvin, obtained by Elbaz, including one from Valentino's Qatari owners Mayhoola, the sources had said.
Dozens of Lanvin's staff rebelled against Wang after the designer left and the spat triggered several legal proceedings, some of which are ongoing.
Elbaz, the bespectacled designer who never wears socks, put some on for the occasion. He said before his perfume was distributed to guests: "I invited you today to a show with no dresses. Instead, you will go out with a perfume of a dress."
PARIS — “I cannot believe what a fabulous front row is here,” Alber Elbaz, the former artistic director of Lanvin, said on Monday as he drew some of the biggest names in the industry to a gilded room in the Palais Royal. “Here I am, inviting you to a show with no dresses. It was difficult, but don’t you find it original?”
They had gathered — the heads of Vogue, W and Harper’s Bazaar, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman, fellow designers, former colleagues and a few famous fans, including Demi Moore and Kristin Scott Thomas — to see Mr. Elbaz appointed an officer of the Légion d’Honneur. It was an elevation of his rank; he had been made a chevalier in 2007.
“I think he’s part of French culture,” said Pierpaolo Piccioli, the creative director of Valentino. “He’s contributed to the joyfulness of French fashion.”
Asked if he thought a new home for the designer, currently between placements, was on the way, he replied, “I hope so.”
Mr. Piccioli had hit on it. Joy was palpable in the room in a way not often expressed in the salons of Paris Fashion Week. But Mr. Elbaz has a way of disarming even the frostiest fashion types, and the industry has often broken with its customary hauteur to celebrate him with cheers. “We came for Alber,” said Terry Jones, the founding editor of i-D magazine, who with his wife and collaborator, Tricia, had come in from London for the day.
Frédéric Malle, the perfumer, added, “He’s someone you want to do nice things for.”
Mr. Elbaz was presented with a medal by Audrey Azoulay, the French minister of culture and communication, who gave a speech detailing his career, from his beginnings in Morocco and Israel to his time in New York with Geoffrey Beene, to his arrival in Paris and stints at Guy Laroche, Yves Saint Laurent and then Lanvin.
Ms. Azoulay did not pass over the unhappy end of his 14-year tenure there. Mr. Elbaz was fired in October.
“Many love stories end in tragedy,” she said, to laughter. “That’s the story of Lanvin.”
All the same, she said, “France waits for you; France is faithful to you.”
Mr. Elbaz has been popping up at shows this week, seeing friends and posting on Instagram — a new passion — leading many to wonder what his next move might be.
“I can tell you that I am still in love with fashion and I miss fashion and I miss you all a lot,” he said from the dais. “One day we will be back together — but maybe at another place.”
Where that might be, “I think he’ll know instinctively,” said Glenda Bailey, the editor of Harper’s Bazaar.
In the meantime, Mr. Elbaz did take the opportunity to announce a new project, a perfume made in collaboration with Mr. Malle, called “Superstitious.”
As he was pinned with his medal, the room erupted into cheers and some tears, and then, led by a call of “Bravo!” from Anna Dello Russo, the Italian fashion editor, into cheers again. The line to kiss Mr. Elbaz and offer personal congratulations afterward was long.
“It’s hard to even put into words the incredible love and spirit in this room,” said Ms. Moore, standing to the side with Mr. Elbaz’s partner, Alex Koo. “It feels like it’s just the beginning.”