European houses are taking to the beach like influencers take to memes: Lanvin is the latest to present a vacation capsule, called L'Été Lanvin. It is billed as a tribute to the summers founder Jeanne Lanvin spent with her daughter Marguerite in Beaulieu-sur-Mer on the French Riviera.
This and the main line are peppered with Art Deco prints and embroidery, some of the latter's soigné styles carrying small circular bursts of silver beads that resemble fireworks. They are strangely familiar, cheerful and convey a sophisticated elegance.
You have to admire the nerves of steel and determination of Siddhartha Shukla, deputy CEO of Lanvin, who orchestrated a product reboot amid a protracted search for a new creative director, and managed to push ready-to-wear to a proportion elderly. of the business.
Although he did not want to give figures, he said that the female and male rtw has “grown at a rate that we have not seen since the time of Alber [Elbaz]”, who died in 2021 after a stellar 14-year run.
“Flou twist” is the story of the resort, in which the design studio applies the brand's reputation for fluid drapes to structured daywear and even jeans. Beautiful trench coats and blousons for him or her came in tropical wools, unlined, while the usual denim outer seams twisted around the leg, offering a cool, tubular silhouette.
One could imagine the late Pina Bausch loving long draped evening dresses in silk knit, some with low, low backs. Jewel-like metal pieces, some of them similar to the lids of Arpège perfume bottles, and gathered silk fabrics for small, elegant evening tops.
Meanwhile, Lanvin's lipstick-shaped Sequence hardware hangs from its clean-lined take on the bucket bag, which seems to be trending for the resort.
Shukla noted that the L'Été Lanvin capsule is not an isolated effort and follows the brand's recent return to Cannes after a century-long absence with a pop-up. “It could be an interesting way to test some new tourism markets,” he mused.
