Perfectly Pretty at Lanvin

Perfectly Pretty at Lanvin
BY DAN THAWLEY

PARIS, France — The sonic accompaniment to Bouchra Jarrar’s first Lanvin show was the poetry of Marguerite Duras, her stirring words spoken by Rachida Brakni and Christina Bergstrom with an imposing allure. They accompanied a collection which needed that authority: her clothes were widely criticised for their departure from a Lanvin tied so intrinsically to Alber Elbaz’ decade long tenure. His legacy hung heavy over her debut.

Conversely, Jarrar’s Autumn Winter 2017 show took place in the same gilded rooms of the Hôtel de Ville, yet the mood was different. For starters, a spoken word soundtrack returned with a new lightness. This time, explained sound designer Frédéric Sanchez, the narrators were young actresses — and the sound of their screen tests warbling over the airwaves segued nicely into Jarrar’s preoccupation with birds for her sophomore show.

Birds and dancers, to be precise, were the starting point for Autumn — the latter grounding the former as appropriate muses for the ballerina dresses in iridescent black, white, and blush-coloured silks that returned throughout the show in various pleated, ruffled, and lace-encrusted variations.

Jarrar repaired last season’s issues with overt transparency, and a flat python boot was a smart styling tack — they skewed urban and worked to counter the frothiness of her high collars decorated with tulle and feathers. Panelled bouclé coats flecked with sequins added a more tactile, wintery softness to the lineup, recalling Berber carpets in a subtle nod to Jarrar’s own Moroccan heritage.

Due in no small part to her time at Balenciaga, tailoring was a key strength at Jarrar’s own label, and here it shone in stricter iterations: both a peak-shouldered trouser suit and coat draped with a single peplum held an after-hours allure that other looks lost via complications of texture and styling.

Case in point was Jarrar’s first foray into print with a delicate oriental landscape that, though perfectly pretty, lost its impact layered with patent leather jackets and ‘birds of paradise’ feathered jewellery. As pieces apart those are future heirlooms but, as a total look, there’s still work to be done in getting this remix right.