Lanvin Men's Spring 2020
The Paileron pool, built in the 1930s by the architect Lucine Pollet, is a ballroom-sized hall at 33 meters, compromised of cabins and small dressing rooms. The hot sun rays of Parisian summer filter through the glass dome to the glistening waters below. Here Bruno Sialelli talks about his Lanvin summer, an indolent and refined summer, spent elegantly traveling. He recovers elements of Madame Jeanne Lanvin but combines them with avant-garde modernity in both the homme and femme versions.
“I tried to talk to a younger consumer of the past, choosing a funny and carefree story of leisurewear,” the designer explained backstage at the show. He cited the '70s as a point of reference, “Those years when Patrick Lavoix designed the brand's ready-to-wear...Here I tried to give the collection the slightly bohemian vibe of those years,” as well as art “Certain references to Cocteau and his idea of these sports boys and with a high dose of eroticism”. To accompany the collection, a mermaid acts as a lucky charm, scales shining like rhinestones.
“I was inspired by the bathroom of Madame Lanvin where some siren-shaped faucets appeared...I let myself be fascinated by all the incredible work done by the designer in tandem with the architect and interior designer Armand Albert Rateau who took care of all her houses.”
In reality, the spirit of Madame Lanvin hovers over the entire collection. A tireless traveler, she had a nomadic spirit that led her to discover and to be inspired by, Toledo and Venice, the Borromean Islands, and Egypt.
“I liked the idea of punctuating the collection with memories, with souvenirs that tell different moments and experiences,” added Sialelli. These experiences brought his crew on an imaginary journey between Capri and Taormina, with stops in the Balearics, Mykonos, and Goa. Imagine a bourgeois catamaran where Bianca Jagger and Lee Radzwill or Marella Agnelli could spend their days. These vacation spots also attracted swarms of artists, in a circle of madly extravagant creativity. Which for him includes sailor sweaters and sponge-effect knitwear, hand-painted cotton with marine scenes and fisherman coats, naval flag patterns and silks with majolica prints, bright-colored caftans, and gentle pirate feluccas. For her, the season is made up of small duster coats trimmed with air chains and suits, fluctuating silk dresses, and tunics with bold stripes, knitwear with northern braids and cotton closed with boat hooks, blouses with lush bouquets and oversized proportions, awash with a flow of aquatic palettes. A naive and childlike spirit hovers over everything, delicately boho.
“I'm working on the definition for a new summer language for Lanvin,” added the designer, to his second season for the brand. A summer, as the title of the collection states, will be hot. And ready to rejuvenate the historic French fashion house.
