After Alber Elbaz left Lanvin, Bouchra Jarrar‘s appointment as the creative director was, hmm, promising. But now, the pain after Alber’s departure is even more intense. Jarrar’s first runway collection for the brand, which was found by Jeanne Lanvin in 1889, rather looked plain than chic. The spell was broke.

Actually, I felt surprised that Bouchra’s debut collection would look so. Haute couture outings at her namesake brand, currently closed because of the new job, were simply beautiful. I loved her minimal approach to womenswear, focused on top-notch tailoring and dreamy detailing. Spring-summer 2017 at Lanvin is quite opposite: to me, it’s chaotic. Lace-trimmed dresses, feathers there, florals here. Suddenly, there’s a patent-leather jumpsuit out of nowhere. Something of glam-rock in those zebra-print vests. Meticulously embroidered slip-dress worn with an over-sized cardigan. Jewellery has always been an important part at Lanvin, and Jeanne had a soft-spot for pearls, specifically. In case of Bouchra, necklaces presented on the models looked like excessively layered accessories, without any soul behind it. And the stark contrast in the range of dresses – from slit gowns which make me think of sultry Alexandre Vauthier creations for Rihanna, to a baggy piece which won’t look flattering on any body type, there’s a mish-mash of everything and nothing. HOPE it’s just a shy start. If the next few collections will have a similar manner – Lanvin is doomed for good.