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Lanvin

PARIS, January 28, 2007
By Tim Blanks
The lingering impression at a fashion show is often the music. At Lanvin, for instance, the mix of Siouxsie and strings was the aural embodiment of the collection's mash-up of the edgy and the classic. One outfit stood out above all others: a tracksuit in gold duchesse satin. It was designer Lucas Ossendrijver's reconceptualization of a man's suit. "Masculine but not macho, a certain fragility without becoming feminine," was how he put it after the show. The same notion presumably inspired the show's closer, a pantsuit in coral knit that stirred up an outré echo of Judy Garland. But that's what has made Lanvin's menswear such an editors' favorite. It has a curious, ever-so-slightly camp fearlessness.

Ossendrijver wanted to push that skewed spirit farther in this collection. The styling and accessories—a knit tie, hot-pink high-tops—helped make his point. So did the more extreme color palette and the more defined silhouettes. "The only things I can wear in this collection are the ties and shoes," laughed Alber Elbaz, Lanvin's cuddly creative director. True, the legging-slim trousers and leanly tailored jackets and coats might pose a challenge for Alber, but there was other outerwear that brimmed with generosity, particularly a gray knit duffel coat and a parka with its hem gathered to create the couture-ish tulip shape that has crossed over to menswear this season.

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