PARIS, Oct 9, 2005/ FW/ --- ‘Alber Elbaz created a wonderful collection,” Shaw-Lan Wang, the Taiwanese media baroness whose group owns Lanvin told FW after the Lanvin show.

And she was not alone in thinking so as Madame Shaw-Lan Wang received congratulatory remarks Didier Grumbach, President of the Chamber Syndicale and other members of the media.

With all the models sporting ponytails, their faces scrubbed clean wearing very little make-up, Alber Elbaz merged Japanese elements with European aesthetics to create a masterfully tailored collection that will surely land on the ‘must have’ list of the fashionistas in springtime.

Named by Time Magazine as one of fashion’s ‘Movers & Shakers,’ Alber Elbaz’s Spring / Summer 2006 collection was a departure from the soft silhouettes he created for Lanvin.

With square necks, sharp shoulders, neckties and silk bomber jackets, there was a mannish element in the collection.

This was softened with the obi sashes and cherry blossoms either on prints or beaded on the dresses, wherein Elbaz created a delicate balance between femininity and androgyny, capturing the Japanese delicate sense of balance in the process.

This newly seen aesthetics can be perceived as a subtle change in Alber Elbaz’s style, as the designer experiments with other elements.

Yet the more important aspect and truly the one that defines Alber Elbaz as a designer is still ‘making clothes that follow, rather than sex up, the natural pillowy curves of the female form,’ as what Time Magazine had said.

Lanvin by Alber Elbaz

Lanvin by Alber Elbaz

Lanvin by Alber Elbaz

Lanvin by Alber Elbaz