Barneys takes another stab at promoting Lanvin menswear. They are really trying to ride this thing (they also promoted it on men.style.com). Personally, I don't see people paying retail for this, it seems like Lanvin decided to offset the "fragility in details, fabrics, and emotion" by the prices that are not for the faint of heart. The collection is of excellent quality, I must say, but would you pay $250 for a bow tie, or $1000 for a pair of cotton pants? I guess someone out there would, but this line is strangely positioned, I think. On one hand people who buy Kiton and such usually look with a slight disdain on things "designer," on the other hand people who are willing to shell out such money on "designer" stuff will probably find Lanvin too plain. Any thoughts?
Barneys New York Launches Lanvin Homme
Lauren David Peden
October 23rd, 2006 @ 1:29 PM
"This is like a menswear version of the Proust Black and White ball,
except we decided to make it more like if middle management was coming
to the ball," said Barneys New York creative director, Simon Doonan, at
the party held at Barneys' flagship store on Wednesday, October 18th,
to celebrate the new Lanvin Homme line, a soup-to-nuts men's collection
that ranges from cashmere underwear to super-luxe tuxedos.
That would explain the red and white "Hello, My Name Is..." badges
that sat on a parquet-inlaid table near the third floor elevator,
bearing names such as "Madam de la Bretonnerie" and "Monsieur
Bontemps," the latter worn by event co-host André Leon Talley, who was
also sporting a chain-festooned black leather blazer.
That would also explain the French champagne and madeleines that
were being served by black-clad waiters, who deftly navigated in and
out of a crowd that included editors from Vogue, the Wall Street
Journal and the New York Times, along with Damon Dash, Rachel Roy and
Lucy Liu, the last of whom came to say hello her old friend, Lanvin
designer Alber Elbaz, who was himself sporting a badge that read
"Hello, My Name Is...Francoise."
So what distinguishes the 28-piece Lanvin Homme collection from all the other menswear lines out there?
"Fragility. In details, in fabric, in emotion," replied the elfin
Elbaz, who had traded in his usual small black bow tie for a floppy
purple cravat from the Lanvin Homme collection, which retails from $250
for a bow tie to $12,000 for a shaved mink bomber jacket with cashmere
lining.
"I adore Alber's menswear," chimed in Doonan between pinning
incoming guests. "Because it's a fabulous combination of masculine and
nelly. The fabrics are all exquisite, and it sort of works both ways.
If you're feeling quite butch, you can be very Zola and then the next
day you can be very Proust."
Ahhh. Lanvin Homme: Remembrance Of Things Fab.