Lanvin Petite 2012

  Amongst the black outs, I try to post this quickly before my PC turns off again...
So, last days I suppose you've noticed that I'm kind of fond of videos. It's just a way to relax from Fashion Month and deal with other things going on in fashion world (and not), except for the runway shows.
 So, here is this great video for Lanvin Petite Hiver 2012 starring adorable little models and Albert Elbaz...

The New Look

Dior

And the fourth day God created Albert (Elbaz). At last, my prayers for some colour were heard and Elbaz gave us a colour explosion to celebrate his ten years tenure in Lanvin.
 The bright colours came with peplums, skirtsuits and brilliant large baroque jewelry. However, the party didn't end here. Roland Muret launched a modern, slimmer version of the New Look, while Dior gained back his old allure through Bill Gaytten, who decided to welcome his first winter in the Maison with a reversion of the same look.
  Gaytten's version was closer to the original one of Christian Dior, as it concerns the emphasis on waist and the skirts' width. Peplums were also "honoured" by the master of knitwear Sonia Rykiel, who presented it in knitted, cosier versions alongside midi-length pencil skirts.
  On the other hand, there was a deconstructive mood by Maison Martin Margiela and Anne Valérie Hash; the last mentioned deconstructed another Great french Look, Le Smoking, giving to it a less classical character.

Roland Muret

Chalayan

Anne Valérie Hash

Dior

Isabel Marant

Maison Martin Margiela

Sonia Rykiel

Yohji Yamamoto

Lanvin

Vionnet

Photos: Style.com

Finding the lost elegance

 When I started writing this post, it was just because i was fascinated by the "retro vague" that  has prompted last years  many designers to create some of the most elegant collections of the past decade. By then, I had started having serious doubts on the future of men 's fashion as it seemed to lack of imagination and proved more and more uninspired by the years. It was all about casual/sports wear like multi-copies of old Lacoste patterns or flashy Italian-style designs. And it doesn't mean that I 'm all against casual-wear or Italian designers. It's just that I prefer variety, especially when it comes to fashion.
  Then, a short trip to London, good enough to make me realise that this "retro vague" actually exists in the streets and not only on the catwalks, intervened.  Finally, men fashion returns to its roots, bringing back the lost elegance of the Mid-war era. Particularly in London, I noticed that men are among the most fervent admirers of retro style. And this retro style is not about an old fashioned way of dressing, but the combination of the old times elegance with the modern aesthetic.
  Lanvin's 2011-2012 men collection is the best example of this return to the old times. It was one of the most inspirational works of Lucas Ossendrijver and we should congratulate him for his ability to bring together retro style and sportswear achieving such a delicate result.
The midi-length coats, the loafers, the hats...every single piece was designed to remind us an era more romantic, with a more intense sense of aesthetic. The era of Picasso, the era of abstract expressionism's birth in America and most important, the Great Depression era.

 

Another great example of this "retro vague" is the incredible men shoes of Junya Watanabe, both this and last year's. In my opinion they remain the most stylish brogues ever made, especially the last year's ones in suede.  

Last but not least, I sum up with Elbaz 's phrase on Lanvin's collection hoping that he will be followed by other fashion Houses too in the near future: "a return to elegance—the word is always being used to describe old people. When you talk about the young, it's always 'cool' or 'sexy', but we wanted to introduce elegance to the young."