Alber Elbaz is so delicious you just want to eat him up like a Ladurée macaroon, yet for spring he showed his tougher side, unleashing a collection that boldly reinterpreted the writhing coils of a snake in a series of bold-conscious sheaths that were simple, spare and straight to the point. Geoffrey Beene–Alber’s first mentor–would have been proud of the athletic elegance shown here. This is clearly not the Lanvin legions of women have come to know and love; in a seeming Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde moment, the Day-Glo lime, orange, violet and hot pink channeled a new kind of Lanvin woman: one that wasn’t all about the hourglass silhouette. This was a collection that illustrated the power of personal conviction. This was glamour on a new, gasp-enducing level.
In lieu of the silks in which he draped from, Alber tackled stretch fabric, which served as the basis for much of the collection, ranging from the mini-shifts, glittering with crystals to the day work suits and raincoats. Evening was silky elegance thanks to a grouping of desert-hue and animal-print chiffons that were cut in robes, caftans and one-shoulder gowns. They glistened with jeweled belts and chokers.
