After Stella McCartney, Comme Des Garcons, Viktor & Rolf and Karl Lagerfeld, Swedish fast-fashion supremo H&M is limbering up for the latest in the most venerable line-up of designer collabs on the high street. This time it's the turn of catwalk darling Alber Elbaz, artistic director at Lanvin and a man who is widely acclaimed for creating ultra-feminine and oft flamboyant womenswear creations while keeping a steely eye on commercial relevance. Not only did Elbaz's appointment to Lanvin in 2001 reignite the fashion world's love with one of Paris's eldest brands but also served to re-pitch Lanvin as a barometer by which international catwalk trends are measured.
Few will be surprised that Elbaz has focused his efforts for H&M on his signature cocktail dresses and eveningwear. Cinched waists, crunchy textures, asymetric sections of puffy volume and sexy silhouettes all play into Elbaz's comfort zone, what's more challenging and where Elbaz scores critical design points is the skilled way in which he translates his lofty runway-led design personality for a younger customer group who, largely through a diet of high-street fast-fashion, have more of an appetite for bling than his heavily-pursed regular customers.
The collaborative menswear collection, designed by Lanvin menswear designer Lucas Ossendrijver, although slightly less accurate in its balance between design theatrics and commercial common sense (see the military-inspired men's jumpsuit above for reference) is a strong effort too.
The men's range makes most sense when it talks tailoring and the contemporary evening suits are excellent. Slim yet languid, smart yet eccentrically casual, the blazers and jackets espouse the Lanvin menswear values effortlessly.
The collection hits selected nationwide branches of H&M on 23 November. Fashion Buyer UK will be blogging about the main H&M collection for Spring '11 later this week. For more information visit www.HM.com.Source URL: http://icip2idayusof.blogspot.com/2010/11/h-unveils-new-lanvin-collaboration.html
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