#PFW: Alber Elbaz’s Dark Collection For Lanvin Fall 2014 Is Rated X

Photo: WENN/SIPA

Alber Elbaz knows what women want and he proves it time and time again. Season after season Elbaz crafts his collections at Lanvin in a relatively quiet way when you consider fashion’s current landscape of marquee designers names. And so this season’s collection filled with a decidedly dark palette and slightly foreboding textures might seem a bit unsettling if it’s truly what the Lanvin woman–like Rihanna who wore a grey sit from the collection while she sat front row with her current stylist Mell Ottenberg–is after.

Rated X by Elbaz himself for Xtreme, Xtravagant and Xperiment, the collection stayed true to the the epitome of modern elegance that it’s always displayed, a look that includes fur coats, demure but not diminutive clothing shapes, and sophisticated fabrications. When models’ faces weren’t shrouded by the shadows of oversized hats trimmed in marabou feathers, Pat Mcgrath’s handiwork was revealed: bright faces with dark, slightly blurred eyeliner for all with slicked-back wet hair.

Footwear ranged from oxford-inspired brogues beneath full-length silk gowns to short booties for a bias-cut dress and even an over-the-knee leather boot for when hems cut too short. Raw-edged tweeds and lush fur stoles seemed to nod to years past–as a collection designed during a brand’s 125th anniversary should do–but definitely indicate an interesting future ahead.

Check out some of our favorite looks from the Lanvin Fall 2014 show below.