The allure of buying something from a designer label can be an exhilarating experience. Even walking into a designer shop can make you feel like a famous celebrity. The problem is that the average person, or college student in our case, can usually only dream of owning a luxe piece of their own. So when I started seeing designers like Zac Posen and Korto Momolu creating inspired pieces for Target and Dillard’s, I could’ve cried for happiness.
I couldn’t wait to rush the stores and look at dresses that were priced low enough for me to actually afford them. Without the flashy price tags attached, I was like a kid in a candy store running through the heavily merchandised aisles. These designers have been following the trend to make clothing for the mass markets, giving them more funding for their expensive runway collections. That’s why it’s intriguing to see that H&M is collaborating with Lanvin to create a collection where “luxury meets high street” at higher prices instead of just selling a look for less.
Nothing else, except Madeleine Vionnet, exudes fashion and French elegance like the house of Lanvin, now lead by Alber Elbaz. The fashion house began with Jeanne Lanvin in 1909 when she began designing clothes for her daughter in Paris. By 1923, she had joined the Syndicat de la Couture (this membership allows you to call your clothing “couture”) and opened shops selling everything from home décor to menswear.
The house still designs today, and continues to create classic, feminine and flattering pieces for women and men. Alber Elbaz, the house’s designer for the last decade, looks to bring clean lines, exquisite details, fine materials and feminine shapes to Lanvin and the Lanvin H&M collection.
The collection kicked off with a “haute couture” show and party that invited celebrities, editors and fashion icons to The Pierre Hotel in New York City. Attendees entered on a red carpet themed with graffiti backdrops and walked inside to a wonderland of flowers and greenery. The show itself went over the top with big band music mixes and chandeliers covering the ceiling. Floral patterned dresses and tailored women’s suits with top hats and canes strutted down the runway with all the attitude of a 1920s Parisian mistress.
The outfits were girly yet confident on models who giggled and twirled as they walked under an arch with the two lovers’ names on it — Lanvin H&M shown in a happy marriage at last. Most of the looks were actually inspirations from past Lanvin designs that they wanted to re-create in a new and younger collection for H&M.
The most interesting part of watching the show is that each outfit was made into its own character shown in a short movie (available to see online), which the models then played out on the runway. One model even walked out toting a colorful poodle, punctuating the show with a true French cliché. It was unforgettable for those in the audience and helped render intense anticipation for the line to hit stores on Nov. 20.
The line in stores represents the basic looks of the fashion show, though nowhere near as elaborate. They exude Lanvin’s love of bright colors, interesting shapes and floral patterns and trim detailing. The clothing is placed on mannequins with exaggerated facial features that poke fun at the glamorous stereotypes of having a small dog or a boyfriend who will hold your purse and buy you expensive gifts. The best part about the looks is how fun they are to try on. You take a tulle dress to the dressing room and you won’t want to stop twirling.
They have an iconic and classic feel, as though you found the pieces in a vintage store. It’s the timeless appeal to the clothing that has launched the collection into becoming one of the most buzzed about topics on fashion blogs and magazines alike.
The new way H&M has brought luxury to the market has been a great success. Around $99-199 per dress, the line is meant to have a higher price point than most items in-store. Instead of diluting a couture name and making a quick cheap profit, the company has found a way to bring couture to the masses that are still affordable to those who can’t pay for the real looks.
“The inspiration is actually women. Women I know and women I want to know. It’s also men I know and men I want to know. It’s actually a very happy collection for happy people,” Alber said of the collection in an H&M video.
Go check out the looks before they are gone, but don’t be surprised if you walk out with a Christmas gift for yourself.
