LANVIN TAPS OLIVIER LAPIDUS

Olivier Lapidus is the new Creative Director of Lanvin, replacing Bouchra Jarrar who left the storied French house after 15 months and two collections. She was tapped as the successor to Alber Elbaz in March 2016. According to WWD, little-known Lapidus is expected to show his first collection in September for spring 2018. He arrives at a challenging moment for the Maison founded by Jeanne Lanvin in 1889 and now controlled by Taiwan-based media magnate Shaw-Lan Wang. Lately, sales have declined steeply with the house posting its first loss last year in more than a decade. Lapidus is the former chief of the Ted Lapidus label, founded by his father. He recently launched what he calls the world’s first web-based couture house. Through an online runway show, customers can book an appointment to be measured by a local team of seamstresses through a hotline available in 11 languages and follow the entire creation process via web. His appointment has certainly raised eyebrows, even among Lanvin’s board members. According to the latest rumors, Jarrar departed due to the friction with Lanvin’s chief executive officer Michèle Huiban. For F/W 2017-18, Jarrar’s second season at Lanvin, the message was feminine, pragmatic, romantic and confident. Inspired by couture and the opera, the line-up was filled with fluid dresses countered by soft pants, tailored jackets and edgy biker jackets. Jarrar’s first advertising campaign fronted Stella Tennant in all her striking androgynous beauty shot by Italian photographer Paolo Roversi.