The French house Lanvin has some reason to hope the wilderness years that followed the departure of its much-loved creative director Alber Elbaz in 2015 might be coming to an end, but Paris fashion week has not been plain sailing for new designer Bruno Sialelli.
Sialelli, 31, became the fourth designer at the helm in four years when he was appointed earlier this year. Bouchra Jarrar had lasted two seasons, and Olivier Lapidus eight months. The house’s new Chinese owners, Fosun Fashion Group, were anxious to revive Lanvin’s rapidly fading fortunes when Sialelli was brought in from the Spanish brand Loewe.
His debut in February was positively reviewed, and the faith Fosun’s bosses have in his vision was demonstrated earlier this month with the opening of a 3,000 sq ft (280 sq metre) flagship boutique in Manhattan under Sialelli’s art direction.
The story of the founder, Jeanne Lanvin – a pioneering woman in fashion, who made clothes for men, women and children, effectively creating an early lifestyle brand – is being reclaimed as the creation myth of a house that had come almost to belong, in the eyes of the industry, to Elbaz.
Sialelli found a synergy between the 130-year-old house of Lanvin and the aesthetic of Loewe. Both blend ideas from menswear and womenswear, and both lean into a draped, decentred silhouette, although Jeanne Lanvin’s version tended towards flowing evening wear in silk and tulle, while Loewe’s is a more laid-back silhouette using artisanal, crafty fabrics.
But a grand plan to delight attendees with an alfresco catwalk experience was derailed when a deluge forced models to brave driving rain while the audience watched from beneath umbrellas.
Lanvin, once again, seemed unable to catch a break. But although his luck was out, Sialelli’s collection had a winning charm. Cocoon-style coats and kimono-sleeved jackets took inspiration from the 1950s and 60s wardrobes of Truman Capote’s jet-set “swans”, including Lee Radziwill and Babe Paley.
