Lanvin catwalk show report S/S 2016 in Paris

Rue Bonaparte is the street where the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts lie and Lanvin’s SS16 collection had the interior of this beautifully ornate building for Thursday’s show. Among the crowd, Eva Chen, Solange Knowles, Jared Leto and Carine Roitfeld made up just a small proportion of the star-studded front row.

Since 2001, Alber Elbaz has been creative director of Lanvin and in that time, every collection has been dedicated to the comfort, silhouette and wearability of womenswear. This collection, continued the tradition, with an element of androgyny that we have all come to expect within the metallics, heavy reds and flowing fabrics.

The white shirt made a bold entrance into the Lanvin collection, over-sized sleeves tucked into skirts, with knife-pleat extensions, accented with red shoes or a neck-tie was a beautiful way to start. And, for at least the first 32 looks, the collection appeared to be that of a fairy niche colour palette. A more classic set of looks seemed to be in the running, with the Lanvin touch of course, however, more suddenly than one may have expected, the collection took an eclectic turn.

Sequins, which made a big splash in Lanvin’s spring 2014 collection, made a comeback for this SS16 show. Partnered up with various layerings, multiple accessories and a set of multicoloured looks, the brand’s love of layered textures and fabrics made up a large proportion of this season’s looks. Whilst raw edges, visible stitching, the odd loose thread and the occasional shard of hanging fabric, made the collection somewhat more charming.

This collection proves to be a more colourful and expressive progression from Elbaz’s autumn/winter collection; a beautiful follow-on which shows that the SS16 season may be one for flamboyancy with a little edge and lots of character.

Marianna Michael
Photos: Getty Images