Britain could use a bit of humor of the moment, and like true patriots, Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone are prepared to deliver it. The Absolutely Fabulous movie, opening stateside on July 22, premiered in England, where the series was born, on June 29. Which means that those cocktail-swilling, ruckus-causing pals, played by Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley, will be able to hightail it to Paris in time for the haute couture, if they so choose.
Sadly, Christian Lacroix, Edina’s designer idol, once credited with reviving the métier, won’t be on the schedule. The boy who grew up dreaming of being Christian Dior, and who was given his own couture house by Bernard Arnault to mark the 40th anniversary of Dior’s first collection, stepped down in 2009 having, in Vogue’s words, “put the ooh-la-la! and olé back into fashion” and “changed the sensibility of things.” Rejecting the sexy, body-con aesthetic, Lacroix created fantastical, often over-the-top clothes that were infused with color and romance, and informed by the designer’s study and love of fashion history.
Here, from the Vogue archive, photos–cum–love letters to Lacroix’s incredible couture creations, which so enchanted lovers of fashion, including Edina, sweetie, darling.
