Madame Carven was a couturier in the middle part of the last century whose contribution to the craft was her sporty, woman-friendly approach (she was apparently the first to do haute couture outfits for tennis and skiing). Guillaume Henry has revived the brand for today, retaining the founder s sensibility but producing it at wallet-friendly prices.
Spring 2011 is just the third season in the label s new incarnation, and already it s sold everywhere from stalwart Paris department stores to edgy boutiques. That has something to do with the clever, versatile way Henry builds the collection, cutting a simple sleeveless shift, say, in a black and white landscape print and offering it with a removable shirt collar in contrasting point d esprit. Without the collar, it s destined for Printemps or Galeries Lafayette; with it, Opening Ceremony or Dover Street Market. Similarly, the deeply cutaway bodice of a full-skirted navy and black cocktail dress revealed a camel cashmere bra. You could just as easily wear it with a favorite button-down.
"Bourgeois, but with a nasty side" is how the designer described the collection s vibe, which explains the presence of the cutouts that are quickly becoming a key theme on this season s runways. Here, they turned up on the back of a shirtdress made from squares of printed silk scarves, as well as on ruched body dresses made from T-shirt jersey. With a retail price of about €200 on those, Henry is about to make plenty more friends.
