Elbaz's Couture Strengths
By Karl Treacy
Photos by Gruber-FWD
PARIS, Oct 9, 2002/ FWD/ --- If there was anything wrong with Alber Elbaz's show for Lanvin
Sunday, it was mirrored by the runway it was shown on at the Palais de
Chaillot -- long and deflecting.
If there was anything right though -- and, boy, was there -- it was that Elbaz showed exactly
why his talent caught the eye of first Yves Saint Laurent and later Lanvin.
The designer, whom Harpers Bazaar's Glenda Bailey described to FWD as "often shamefully
underestimated," explored the concepts of the basic construction of clothes, from how
they are pieced together to how they are lined.
With chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and sharp notes of a harpsichord opening the show,
hardcore punk was certainly not going to be in the cards.
Elbaz's idea of deconstruction was cutting a skirt suit in black canvas with seams on the
outside and a little drape of silk lining peeping out the side of the skirt.
In a lesser designer's hands this could have seemed overly arty and clever - not to mention
unfinished; here it was perfectly realized and chic.
Elbaz played with thick black satin ribbons, using them insouciantly to belt a dress or
jacket or snake around the ankle of jeweled flat sandals.
Large diamante stones, from New York- and Bombay-based Phoenix Hand Embroidery, were
exquisitely embroidered on tulle as glittering trompe l'oeil necklaces edging the plunging
neckline of a dress or jacket, whispering old money rather than shouting flash cash.
Tulle was in fact used in several pieces as the hidden connector between raw-edged,
gathered and roughly pleated swathes of silk and mousseline, which draped around necklines
and fell away into bloused and fluttering gowns.
The collection could have done with a little editing at this point, however, as Elbaz got a
bit carried away with creating multiple outfits that from a distance defied gravity, or the
shape of the body beneath, then added what could have been smart daywear into the mix.
Over-enthusiasm aside, Elbaz rivaled Karl Lagerfeld at Lagerfeld Gallery for the best little
black jersey dresses of the week.
His light touch produced impact with discreet details like a small gathered panel or fine
leather spaghetti straps.
Lanvin, which has been through designers like Ocimar Versolato and Christina Ortiz in recent
years, is finally developing a signature that it deserves -- upscale modern classics that
befit the image of a historical couture house.
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