Alber Elbaz s days of taking his Lanvin pre-collections on the road are over, at least for the time being. At an atelier presentation in Paris today, he said he preferred a comfortable couch and a candid conversation. Based on how editors and buyers lingered to chat, we d say Elbaz isn t the only one eager to slow down and connect with his fellow man and woman. The clothes he showed had a similar intimacy. Loaded up with colorful crystal pendants or brooches and paired with men s oxfords or knee-high boots, the outfits had an irreverent, personal touch, like they d been pulled out of the closet of a gal with incredible taste, not yanked from the fitting room mere hours ago.
In most cases, the mix was the message. The cropped jacket of a pinstripe pantsuit was worn over a loden green coat dotted with feathers, while a gold leather toggle coat with a jaunty hood topped a short floral brocade dress. The most fabulous look combined a dusty pink fox-fur jacket, a black feather-strewn T-shirt, and a long wrap skirt in a gray tone leopard print. Glam casual. More simply, a black leather snap-front shirt was paired with a faux black leather full skirt. Lots of ideas, not least of all the notion that personal style is a thing to be nurtured and cultivated, just like our precious little downtime.
