Paris Men’s Collections | Lanvin: Fall 2016

Photo: Dominique Charriau/WireImage.

This Fall 2016 collection marks the the 10th year Lucas Ossendrijver has been designing for Lanvin and it’s been a great run. There are rumors that this may be the last for him but even after last year’s loss of Creative Director Alber Elbaz, Ossendrijver did a superb job. Through frayed edges and rumpled layers he created a lived-in look with a sense of imperfection. Something that pretty much sums up our actual lives, so why shouldn’t our clothing do the same?

A definite change from the slightly confusing looks from pre-fall, this Lanvin collection shows Ossendrijver’s simple love for clothing. The usual construction techniques, interestingly odd use of materials and multiple stitches gave each piece a semi-unfinished look. He went in on the details and included motifs of keys and even hacksaws. It was a re-purposing of sorts and seemed to overtly acknowledge his decade with the fashion house. Audience favorites included a beautifully crafted leather detailed shearling jacket with metal rings, lined with kangaroo fur and a collection of leather accented backpacks.

Also: Dior Homme: Fall 2016

From the soft shouldered coats that seemed to envelope the models completely to wide leg pants and loose-fitted suiting, this collection still had a few familiar silhouettes. What stood out the most were the spay dye techniques applied to the clothing and shoes continuing to call out the “aged” theme throughout the show. Apparently Ossendrijver knows how to make the shoes in a show stand out as well. Most were coated with various sprayed treatments in contrasting colors and paired with darker clothing. He even sent a few of the sneaker styles from previous shows down the runway.

Although the designer admitted he missed the creative director (Elbaz) with whom he shared design credit in the past, he did an exceptional job of combining his aesthetic with the roots of the brand. Elbaz showed his support on Instagram posting a pic of the duo, writing “Good luck with your show today Lucas.” Now that’s a true friend.