Lanvin

STUNNING. I’ve kept my eye on Lanvin for a long time and always thought it was one of the cooler fashion houses. On the first floor of Crystal’s at City Center, for the Fall 2012 season, Lanvin was a black, divided square space with overhead lighting as if hinting at some urban edginess, softened only by the fresh orchids strategically placed throughout. The «streetness» was further emphasized by the autumnal pieces, all dark with sharp edges and contrasts in texture. I visited on Tuesday.
The manager, who was chatting with a large suited security guard, greeted me warmly and left me alone until I pulled out a cool, fish-​scale textured black dress, and she came to take it and set it up in a dressing room. I also picked out a jacket to try on too. She had Kristina help me out, who offered me bottled water while I put on these pieces.
There is no question of quality when it comes to such high end clothing. The construction and cut of the dress I tried on first were just beautiful and fit me to a T at size FR36. I loved how it made me look taller, and the scaly texture lent the dress a high coolness factor.
The dressing room with its thick black curtains was too dark to see it all clearly. A small light above made me look like I was in some dark alley under a lamp post, which under other circumstances was neat, but I wanted to see what I looked like.
I moved aside a curtain and stepped out into the light in front of Kristina, her manager, and the main mirror. They both appeared sincerely delighted (either they were genuinely excited, or they’re very, very good saleswomen, or both). Even the manager said I had the right proportions to carry it off, and that they could hem it up just a tad. They gave me a pair of heels to try on with it. These were the highest heels I’ve ever tried on, and I teetered around until I nearly tripped and crashed into a table with an orchid, much to the horror of the ladies. It was really funny to me, but I had had enough with those shoes.
The jacket, too, was a striking piece. It fit me very well and I loved the contrast of the woolen sleeves to the leather torso. Edgy and modern, yet at the same time classy and elegant. Very Lanvin-​esque, from my experience. Very well made.
Service here was perfect. They were never pushy; I think the only thing I would suggest is the ladies could have offered maybe another piece for me to try on, based on what they saw me choose originally. The other stores did this and I thought it was a nice touch since I didn’t have time to go through all their clothes. But that’s minor, and anyway, it was obvious I was browsing anyway (though… I can be convinced). The gals weren’t wearing suits like at some of the other high end stores, but they were put together very well in all black, tailored outfits with individual accessories. Kristina hovered outside the curtain to help me whenever I needed her.
I wasn’t as moved by the outfits here as I was by the ones I tried at Dior, perhaps because Lanvin already answers my understated yet modern style, while Dior’s elegance and reputation was always a bit more foreign to me. But I loved what I tried on. So now I know for sure that if I’m ever super-​rich, Lanvin looks great on me!