For his second show at Lanvin, Peter Copping turned to the house’s origins, drawing inspiration from the archives of Jeanne Lanvin herself. The choice was not accidental her most creative years unfolded during the 1920s, the very decade when the art déco style, now celebrating its centenary, was at the height of its power. In 1925, Lanvin completed her private apartments, three rooms bathed in a striking shade of blue that today form part of the permanent collection at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. This particular blue became a cornerstone of Copping’s vision, reappearing in both the set design and several of the collection’s dresses, weaving a direct line between past and present.
The atmosphere of the show was anchored in this chromatic choice, evoking elegance with an edge of cool modernity. Long dresses with plunging necklines, geometric motifs, and headbands perched on models’ hair carried echoes of the Jazz Age, but without falling into costume. Copping allowed history to breathe, distilling it into something refined and contemporary. The evening gowns were especially memorable slender, delicate, and light in their movement, yet punctuated by striking details that revealed the hand of a seasoned designer. The audience responded with a roar of applause when Copping himself stepped out in a blue shirt, an understated nod to Jeanne Lanvin’s signature color and his own deep connection to the house’s heritage.
Rather than replicating history, Copping approached the archives with curiosity and imagination. Traditional embroideries were reinterpreted: cabochons veiled under layers of chiffon, or transformed into modern prints by an illustrator. It was not “quiet luxury,” yet it was also not ostentation it was elegance expressed with poise, a studied balance between the richness of the past and the restraint of the present. A touch of sensuality threaded its way through the collection, as flapper-inspired dresses were cut open at the sides, tied with ribbons at the hips to create a sense of movement and intimacy. Outerwear, too, carried this spirit of play: jackets with puffed shoulders and cozy knits revealed arches cut into the back, finished with grosgrain ribbons that repeated across the collection as a subtle leitmotif.
Copping’s tailoring gave even the most traditional forms a new language. Trenches were reimagined like dresses, with full skirts, cinched waists, and sleeves carrying a dramatic flair. White skirts with tiers of oversized black ruffles felt sensational, offering a dialogue between the bold geometry of art déco and the purity of minimalism.
Menswear, however, remained more experimental and less resolved. Acid lime jeans, technical outerwear, and sumptuous leather coats suggested a free spirited energy, recalling Rudolf Nureyev’s offstage elegance, though this direction still seemed to be finding its footing.
In the end, the show was not only a tribute to Jeanne Lanvin or to the art déco era but also a meditation on how history can be reshaped for a modern audience. Peter Copping proved that he can channel a century old aesthetic into something that feels alive today, balancing grace and innovation in equal measure.
Photos courtesy of Lanvin
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