Happy 120th Birthday Lanvin, you look amazing for your age !

Excuse me one minute…

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh

Ok, now i’m back.

Alber Elbaz and Lanvin make me VERY happy, and no, not just because he wears bow ties (HUGE SMILE).

To celebrate the 120th birthday of Lanvin, Creative Director extraordinare, Alber Elbaz, has designed/illustrated a series of stamps for the French mail service, La Poste.  These stamps range in price from 85 cents to $1.40 per stamp.

Starting in January 0f 2010, these stamps in addition to notebooks, pencils, and paperweights will be available for purchase at the website of La Poste.

A few years ago, Chanel put out some stamps for La Poste, and I bought mine on Ebay.

Why do I LOVE these stamps, after all they are just stamps..?  The answer to this is simple: Anything Alber Elbaz draws, illustrates,or designs I am bound to love.

Monsieur Elbaz is an incredible illustrator, perhaps one of my favorites next to Ruben Toledo.  All of his illustrations are sooo cute and fun while emphasizing the amazingness of Lanvin and the world of Fashion.  Whether it be on a tote bag, in a magazine, or on a t-shirt,  I would love to be friends with the girls in his drawings…In a non creepy way.

Of all the high fashion photo shoot ad campaigns, Lanvin’s have always been my favorite.  Every season, the clothes, art direction, colors, models, and positioning surpass the last seasons.  These photos make me feel, think, and want to immerse myself into more things art, color, photography, and fashion.

Spring-Summer 2008. The colors are brilliant.

Breathtaking.

Fall 2009

The new Spring Summer 2010 ad campaign features model Jamie Bouchert and was shot by Steven Meisel.  “I thought maybe we need a bit of action,” said Lanvin’s artistic director, Alber Elbaz. “Jamie moved so fast, even the chandelier was moving with her,” Elbaz said. Bochert was fully qualified for the fast-forward campaign, as Elbaz related that the model recently pursued a purse snatcher for 12 blocks in Brooklyn— and reclaimed her bag from the thief. “That’s the kind of girl I like,” Elbaz said.”

Jamie Bouchert for Spring Summer 2010 (Glad they did not show her face)

Dolls + Lanvin dolls = The best idea ever.  There have now been two seasons of Miss Lanvin porcelain hand painted dolls created by the Franz ceramic company in Taiwan.  Alber wanted to pay homage to Jeanne Lanvin and the post war Theatre de la mode show.  During this time, the French couturiers showcased their designs on miniature dolls to save money and fabric.  Only 800 dolls have been made from each season and will cost you $345.  Browns, Luis via Roma, Selfridges, Ebay, and Lanvin boutiques carry these dollies.

2nd edition

Available for purchase at Brown's of London

1st edition of Lanvin dolls from 2007

The only annoying thing about Lanvin is that their shoes are top 1,2,or 3 most expensive shoes out there.  I much rather invest in a Lanvin dress for 2,200$ than get a pair of shoes for 1,400$. (I don’t do either btw)

Lucky for you, Barney’s is having a sale on Lanvin shoes !

Lanvin made such beautiful clothes for her daughter that they began to attract the attention of a number of wealthy people who requested copies for their own children. Soon, Lanvin was making dresses for their mothers, and some of the most famous names in Europe were included in the clientele of her new boutique on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Paris. 1909, Lanvin joined the Syndicat de la Couture, which marked her formal status as a couturier.

From 1923, the Lanvin empire included a dye factory in Nanterre. 1920s, Lanvin opened shops devoted to home decor, menswear, furs and lingerie, but her most significant expansion was the creation of Lanvin Parfums SA in 1924 and the introduction of her signature fragrance Arpège in 1927, inspired by the sound of her daughter’s practising her scales on the piano. A later perfume, “My Sin,” surely has to be one of the most unique fragrances, an animalic-aldehyde based on heliotrope.

One of the most influential designers of the 1920s and ’30s, Jeanne Lanvin’s skilful use of intricate trimmings, virtuoso embroideries and beaded decorations in clear, light, floral colors became a Lanvin trademark.

When Lanvin died in 1946, ownership of the firm was ceded to the designer’s daughter, who shared management of the firm from 1942 with a cousin and then a fashion-industry expert. Because Marie-Blanche de Polignac was childless when she died in 1958, the ownership of the House of Lanvin went to a cousin, Yves Lanvin. (See Directors and Officers Since Jeanne Lanvin below.)

The company has shuttled from here and there, beginning in March 1989 when Britain’s Midland Bank bought a stake in the company from the family. The bank brought in Léon Bressler to revamp the firm’s faded image. However, February 1990, Midland backed out and sold Lanvin to Orcofi, the French holding company led by the Vuitton family. From Orcofi, 50% of the House of Lanvin was acquired by L’Oreal in 1994, 66% in 1995 and 100% in 1996. Under L’Oréal’s diverse umbrella, an array of CEOs who circulate within the French fashion industry directed the company.

August 2001, Lanvin, the oldest fashion house still in operation, was taken private again by investor group Harmonie S.A., headed by Mrs. Shaw-Lan Wang, a Taiwanese media magnate. And, October 2001, Alber Elbaz was appointed the Lanvin artistic director for all activities, including interiors, and he has conducted his responsibilities in a highly personal, hands-on manner. 2006, he introduced new packaging for the fashion house, featuring a forget-me-not flower color, Lanvin’s favorite shade which she purportedly saw in a Fra Angelico fresco. (Suzy Menkes, 2005.)

Lanvin Boutiques are located in Bal Harbour, Paris, Moscow, Ekaterinburg, Samara, Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong Osaka, London, Casablanca, Geneva, and Antwerp.

Jeanne Lanvin (b. Jeanne-Marie Lanvin, Paris, January 1, 1867–d. Paris, July 6, 1946) was a French fashion designer and the founder of the Lanvin fashion house. One of the most influential designers of the 1920s and ’30s, Jeanne Lanvin’s skillful use of intricate trimmings, virtuoso embroideries and beaded decorations in clear, light, floral colors became a Lanvin trademark. When Lanvin died in 1946, ownership of the firm was ceded to the designer’s daughter, Marguerite di Pietro. – Wikipedia

Jeanne Lanvin

Brownsfashion.com

Lanvin.com

Laposte.com

WWD.com