Which DVN collection did touch you guys in such a special way?
S/S2009: That’s the collection that really introduced me to Dries but also the first collection I purchased pieces from.
I started working in fashion at 16 and so growing up in that industry, I connected with brands and designers who were really about the sexy and chic allure: Gucci, Balenciaga, Chanel and so and so (very cliché fashion Parisian girl) and Dries, a bit like Lanvin a bit before had that very grown up image for me.
The perception I had from the brand was really older women, intellectuals and the false fashion narrative journalists likes to attach to brands and for some reasons, because of the women I knew who wore it in Paris, I assumed it was super expensive even though it was less expensive than the brand I was working for. While the S/S2006 is the one that made Lanvin believable for me, S/S2009 was that with Dries.
I think that collection is still a masterpiece! That collection was a master class in a way to mix Art and Couture. Everything was sumptuous in that collection. I wish I was rich to buy everything back then! I discovered his world, went to Quai Malaquai and was touched by his sensibility.
For me, it’s his best ever.
FW2010: My other favorite collection from Dries. I love how in that show he has managed to capture again the essence of Couture and mix it with an Urban allure. Extreme sophistication with the most down to earth, almost casual spirit. And the styling was exceptional! Khaki mixed with Leopard prints and navy blue? Believe me, I took some lessons!
SS2020: Probably the only unofficial Couture collection we will ever get from Dries.
Beyond the fact that collection launched that trend of designers collabs, I think it was such a fabulous collection. That collection was such a celebration of joy and exhuberance!
What made that collection so special was that it was shown before the pandemic. Then we were all on lockdown and it was such a strange time because the lockdown was unlocked in Paris and suddenly, there was that appetite for fashion! And I kept thinking about that collection and it uplifting spirit. I booked an appointment Quai Malaquai, had the best time ever at the store and got 3 pieces. And those pieces will forever represent that specific period when we wanted to have fun with clothes again.
They kept selling pieces from the Lacroix collection a longtime past that season.
And for menswear, probably the FW2017 because it’s my husband favorite collection and spending 3 hours at Quai Malaquai assisting a man’s fitting is an experience impossible to forget lol.