PARIS, Oct 8, 2006 / FW / --- Deep black, night blue, chocolate brown were chosen by Alber Elbaz for the Lanvin Spring 2007 collection with touches of shocking pink and vibrant yellow on dresses.

Mini dresses of crunched silk are held around the neck by rows of small pleated and contrastingly bright fabric or of metallic materials, probably inspired by the Massai traditional outfit.

But here the silhouette remains otherwise ample in light silks floating from bosom to mid thigh.

The same mini pleats can also embellish a dress front forming a wavy pattern attached on its sides by an apparent stitch on a rough cut fabric to break with the delicacy of the plissé and give it a modern edge.

These pleats also form fan-shaped small inlays on other dresses. Wide elastic bands form athletic racers backs on some of these dresses, adding up to the strong contemporaneous look.

Large metallic zipper that have become like a new code for the house of Lanvin since Alber Elbaz took the reins, are here applied to the side or the back of a dress. One or two asymmetric dresses with one shoulder and arm fully covered on one side definitely revealed the modern Amazon theme of the runway.

Pantsuits made of leather or metallic–looking technical fabric remind that women can also wear something else than a dress when going to a party or cocktail.

Overalls, like in the eighties, but in the season’s colours are also very visibly zipped but only reveal their complex identity at the back, where a waist split makes them like separate blouson and pants.

Pockets are large, puffed up and also zipped on the overalls, just like on the saharienne suits Lanvin proposes for daytime female adventurers in a palette from beige to clear khaki.

No handbags at all on this runway but high heels of Plexiglas or double Creole earrings of plastic sign the introduction of modern material in this house’s ready-to-wear.

On the same line, fully metallic mini-dresses, reminiscent of the Paco Rabanne spirit looked far less good than the originals by the retired designer.

In the context that we know, with the house of Paco Rabanne not showing, the anti-metallic turn that Patrick Robinson has given to the last collections, and the decision from the Puig Group to cut on expenses at Paco Rabanne, one cannot help but think: is it here a tribute to the designer, or an attempt to get its clients moving to another address?

Colour alliances were nicely matched when contrasting, stunning when black was mixed with night blue, but less stylish when chocolate brown was mingling in the otherwise deep dark looks.

To sum it all up, it was a quite well received collection by the audience, which included Demi Moore and Janet Jackson. This season is coherent with the previous work of Alber Elbaz for Lanvin and outlines some of the new codes he is giving the house.

But modern-looking does not necessarily mean elegant, and I think it will still take some time before the designer will conquer the world with something really new and really chic.

Lanvin

Lanvin

Lanvin

Lanvin

Lanvin

Lanvin

Lanvin