Lanvin S/S 2017 Paris

[Fulton St Critique]

When I talked about a world it was more in terms of vision than products. Alber created a desirable world with serious clothes and lot of humor and sensuality. It wasn’t that much about products. They had the Happy bag I think that was never really a big hit but they did great shoes and the costume jewelry had it little cult following (because it was designed by Elie Top). Lanvin by Alber Elbaz sold clothes. He worked with the best perfumers for the fragrances but it never worked…
His vision of fashion was appealing enough.

Today we think a lot in products mode but designers who have a classic training don’t have that kind of mindset…

Regarding Bouchra, for me it was just a bad casting.
Her aesthetic can get very loungewear-wish when Alber aesthetic was more urban, glamour. Such drastic changes can work when it’s a luxury brand that makes the majority of it revenues from bags. When almost all you sell is clothes, things can went left very quickly.

Accessories can help balance some things. We saw it with Hedi Slimane. Clients responded strongly against that first Celine collections. I can tell you sales were very bad for his first season. But the best seller bags were still selling. Celine was about separates, a kind of evolutive wardrobe and you come with minidresses and black suits? Come on, give some options!

Great pointers and thank you for the discussion, really enjoyed your viewpoint on the matter!