In 'Dialogue' with classic French fashion
"Mother and Child" Dolls by Jeanne Lanvin, 1925
Chinese fashion lovers will be vogued at an intriguing exhibition called “Dialogue: 130 Years of Lanvin,” which features over 70 antique clothing items, new runway show pieces and precious works of embroidery.
The exhibit is a collaboration between the fashion brand Lanvin and Shanghai Fosun Foundation. It aims to provide an insight into the brand’s influence on the fashion world and its reinterpretation under Lanvin’s new creative director, Bruno Sialelli.
Founded in 1889 by Jeanne Lanvin, Lanvin is renowned for its timeless designs, exquisite craftsmanship, and bold use of cuts and colors.
The exhibition presents a refined and diverse collection of precious items never before exhibited in China.
The references of the garments adorned in shells reveal beautifully painted women’s dresses.
The one on display, “Coquillage rose (Pink Shell),” is from 1925, and it shows the translation across time and gender.
The “Angel” dress illustrates Jeanne Lanvin’s interest in the cultural production of Medieval and Renaissance Europe.
The vivid ultramarine used to convey the angels’ robes was a costly and luxurious color in 15th-century Florentine painting.
Lanvin employed what are now iconic design elements, such as bow ties, the mother and daughter brooch, children’s clothing and the childlike mind, medieval style, exotic flavor and the iconic “Lanvin blue” to form a signature style which has now found new life in the hands of creative director Bruno Sialelli.
Lanvin’s contribution to stage costume was also impressive, and spanned more than 35 years.
She collaborated on 300 plus theatrical works that are counted in the archive.
In her life she traveled the world in search of new experiences and sources of inspiration. Her visits to museums, churches and antique shops led her to collect costumes and ancient folk clothing and ethnic textiles that informed her fashion designs.
“Each installation poses a question about what is changing and what is constant. The exquisite construction and attention to detail that persists at Lanvin is what delegates change to design,” said Curator and Exhibition Designer Judith Clark.
During the exhibition, fashion workshops and film screenings will also be hosted.
"Symphonie" Coat by Jeanne Lanvin, 1925
Exhibition info
Date: Through February 9 (closed on Mondays), 10am-6pm
Venue: Fosun Foundation Shanghai
Address: 600 Zhongshan Rd E2
