A Tribute to Jeanne Lanvin
Palais Galliera in collaboration with Alber Elbaz, creative director of Lanvin, presents an exhibition devoted to Jeanne Lanvin (1867-1946).
Honouring the oldest French fashion house still in business, the exhibition is the first of its kind in Paris and features more than a hundred models from the extraordinary collections of Palais Galliera and the Lanvin Heritage.
The extraordinary woman behind the House of Lanvin began her career in 1885 as a milliner. A few years later, in 1889, she opened her first store, Lanvin (Melle Jeanne) Modes at 17 Rue Boissy d’Anglas, Paris. Her talent fast led her further and she acquired premises at 22 Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, Paris in 1893. These came to see a wealth of exquisite creations from the gifted couturière and a fast-paced growth within the world of fashion fuelled by a special capacity for hard work and an intuitive understanding of the modern world.
In 1897 Jeanne Lanvin gave birth to her only daughter, Marguerite, who became her primary source of inspiration. The decade following the birth of Marguerite saw Lanvin launch into children clothes, as well as opening a Young Ladies and Women’s department.
In 1909 she joined the Syndicat de la Couture gaining access to the closed world of French fashion houses. After this Jeanne Lanvin opened a brides’ department, numerous departments for lingerie and furs, and in the early 1920s she expanded into interior decoration and sport. With no limits for her ambitions the entrepreneurial designer journeyed into men’s fashion and opened shops across the world in Deauville, Biarritz, Barcelona, Buenos-Aires, Cannes and Le Touqet.
To feed her curiosity Lanvin used travel diaries, swatches of ethnic fabrics and a large library of art books to inspire the creation of new fabrics, patterns and exclusive colours. Inspired by the intense blue found in frescoes by Early Italian Renaissance painter Fra Angelico, she made the same quattrocento blue her favourite colour. Materials, embroidery, topstitches, twists, spirals and cut outs in her creations demonstrate artistry and virtuosity in craftsmanship. Her pieces are classical French perfection represented in 18th century style dresses contrasted with the tubular line of Art Deco with its black and white geometrical patterns, a profusion of ribbons, crystals, beads, and silk tassels.
In 1927 Lanvin celebrated Marguerite’s 30th birthday with the creation of the legendary perfume Arpège, which holds the famous Lanvin logo designed by Paul Iribe. The logo, which is still featured on Lanvin creations today, depicts the couturière with her daughter. Commenting on the logo the House of Lanvin’s creative director Alber Elbaz said “On my first day at Lanvin, I was presented with the logo. A logo is a bit like a surname; at Lanvin it is a mother with her daughter. The whole spirit of the fashion house is summed up in that logo.”
From her admirable children’s collections and a key selection of garments presented as precious jewels, to a set of exotic and ethnic inspired creations, the exhibition at Palais Galliera allows visitors to journey through Jeanne Lanvin’s exquisite pieces.
The Jeanne Lanvin exhibition will be on display until Sunday 23 August 2015 at Palais Galliera, Paris, France.
www.lanvin.com
www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr
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