06/17/08
Text: Nik Mercer, Stacy Saunders
Lanvin's unusual star designer, Alber Elbaz, has dedicated his talents to a medium we've not seen him readily work with: denim. The forty-something bigwig paired with Sweden's jeans-producer-cum-high-end-clothing-company, Acne Jeans for a fun and sassy collection of denim-focused garments.
Lanvin has always designed for women (ruffled silk doesn't seem particularly rough), so the fact that Elbaz is working with denim, originally a worker man's fabric, to make a line so sensual and delicate is interesting. Even the most petite and girly of fahsionistas could drape themselves in these dresses, pants, shirts, and jackets.
While the collaboration is by no means in the same arena as Phillip Lim's Uniqlo stint or Rogan's Target line (Acne is still pretty damn expensive), it indicates another internal shift in the fashion industry. As more and more consumers become aware of "good fashion," more and more fashion houses and retail giants attempt to bridge the gap between the ultra-swanky and glamorous and the low-end. At least Elbaz's Acne clothes are a bit more in reach than his usual couture output.
