“Pre-Collection is about reflection,” says Lanvin artistic director Alber Elbaz, “a reflection on now.” For Alber, “we are no longer listening, we are taping. We’re not talking, we are posting. And we are not looking, just filming.” His Eté 2016 Women’s Pre-Collection started with the idea of connection, and the contradiction of extremes – the real & the artificial. At the center of this exchange is the “Reality TV Show,” a cornerstone of contemporary culture, which has fascinated Alber for many years. He also addresses the prominence of instagram and the idea that everything today must look good in a picture.

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For his New York Presentation, Alber riffed on this phenomenon, creating sitcom sets which capture day to day moments of real life – everything from the mundane to the hilarious. Here, a certain irreverence is injected into the formula of Pre-Collection, and guests are encouraged to truly look at their surroundings. What each discovers is a trompe l’oeil concoction, heightened by a formulaic laugh track reminding us of this glossy manufactured environment. This Lanvin lady lives the high life, dressed head to toe in a bold mash up of colors, prints, jacquard, shine, and volume. Anything goes – she breaks codes and stereotypes, standing out in a crowd. Here, Alber proposes a wardrobe which helps this lady be ready, not only for the picture, but life.

Lanvin-mosphere

This artificial universe is personified by the work of collaborating French artist Cyril Hatt. His work is based on the balance between real and artificial. Hatt photographs his subject in detail, printing these images only to tear, scratch, and stitch them together, reconstructing the object into its original 3-dimensional form with nothing more than a stapler, and few wood beams. Mr. Hatt’s work will be featured in the New York Flagship Windows of both the Women’s & Men’s boutique immediately following the Presentation, from June 9th to July 7th, 2015.