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Lanvin

PARIS, July 1, 2007
By Tim Blanks
Alber Elbaz claimed that Lanvin's new menswear collection wasn't for fashion victims. "It's not fashion, it's a wardrobe," he insisted. And if that implies everything from pajamas to tuxes, then Alber wasn't far wrong. Especially about the pajamas. That's because his cohort Lucas Ossendrijver's declared intention was to give tailored menswear the fluid ease of languid bedwear. Maybe it was this ambience of the boudoir infecting the entire collection that was responsible for the sensuality of the clothes.

The overwhelming impression was shiny silkiness, from the first outfits (a chalk-toned trench layered over a blouson, say) to the last (a silky bib over a jersey shirt in an eveningwear collage). Even the polo shirts were silk, with little faux bow ties like Mickey Mouse ears. Such sinuous looks defied structure, so a shirt-jacket tucked casually into pants, another shirt-jacket layered easily between a jacket and shirt. And a djellaba was easiest of all. It underscored the fundamental exoticism of the Lanvin proposition, which adds a little twist of irony to the ardor this collection stirs in the bosoms of the international menswear media. It's as though Elbaz and Ossendrijver have given suited-and-booted "real" men a license to be louche (and what better entry point than Lanvin's exquisite metallic footwear?). But that knit pantsuit looked like Judy Garland redux from last season. You gotta love it!

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