Paris Fashion Week: A new attitude at Lanvin

Paris Fashion Week Fall-Winter 2014

PARIS -- Rihanna, Emma Roberts, Catherine Deneuve and many more came out Thursday night for designer Alber Elbaz's dark and moody fall-winter 2014 Lanvin show.

This year marks the 125th anniversary of the house of Lanvin (and nearly 10 years for Elbaz at the label.) And while the collection hinted at the past, it also pushed forward into edgy, new territory with raw-edged tweeds, chain-handled bags and flat shoes that had a punky street vibe.

The new attitude was in line with Rihanna's bad-ass Lanvin ensemble for the evening: gray knit jogging pants worn with a peplum jacket, fox fur scarf, lace-up brogue shoes and a camel hat.

The show opened with a voluminous, ruffled, raw edge tweed coat, worn with a feather-topped majorette hat that brought to mind Jeanne Lanvin's roots in millinery.

The message? The beat will go on for the brand into the next century.

Ruffled, raw edge tweed jackets and skirts gave way to a sleek-looking, strapless black leather knife pleat dress with industrial-looking brass snaps down the side. There were lots of soft furs -- oversized, enveloping pelts layered over flannel suits.

Square-neck cocktail dresses were framed in crystals, or swinging with colorful panels of hedonistic fringe, and worn with geometric choker necklaces. Long, sweeping skirts and soft blouses topped with wide brimmed hats trimmed in feathers cast a darkly romantic, Edwardian-era spell.

The result was a step away from the glam, girlish candy-wrapped groove Elbaz channeled in the spring collection, into a bold new future -- less polite and ladylike, and more mysterious and roughed up. It was a courageous move.

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