The familiar show space at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts felt very different this morning. Firstly, we took coffee outside as the venue was scorching, and secondly, there were huge cinematic lighting rigs imposingly placed on the catwalk. It was unusual to have something this exposed at Lanvin, and seemed as if we were about to be treated to something rather industrial, but, it was exactly this exposing that was the point.

Lanvin gave us the shortest of short shorts. They were impeccably tailored suit shorts, worn with uniformly beautifully blazers, but nonetheless exposed much more bare leg than we’re used to seeing from the house. The suits too were often worn without shirting, casually hanging over bare chests, foregoing the familiar Lanvin neckwear. Indeed, in a season that has been dominated by prints, we were given a decidedly monochromatic collection from Alber Elbaz and Lanvin’s men’s designer, Lucas Ossendrijver, a team who are usually rather au fait with their print stories. It was exactly this stripped down and exposed approach that brought the collection to life today, highlighting the label’s mastery of construction and cut. 

The shapes were varied, offering everything from three-buttoned and fitted to one-buttoned, loose, and double breasted. The silhouettes went from barely there to winter proportions, but the fabrication and simplicity carried it all beautifully.