lanvin resort

I know. It's very, very unsurprising and even predictable for me to fawn all over Alber Elbaz's collections. I can't help it. Just look at resort:

Elbaz used themes from his heartbreakingly chic fall collection, and lightened them up with goofy little touches, like cartoonish prints and graphics, amazing color combinations, and haphazard, Miss Havisham-esque styling. It's as though he took his seriously sophisticated fall looks and modified them for the Lanvin girl's kid sister. Somehow, it's wonderful.

Above: Everyone knows I'm a sucker for a good strapless dress. I feel like an idiot saying the word "whimsical," but there you go. It's adorable.

Above: Colors! I love it!

Above: So I just made this whole big deal about how resort moved away from fall's more somber sophistication, but this dress is incredibly sophisticated. But it's also absolutely stunning, so I'll let it slide.

Above: This dress, with all its pleating, reminds me a lot of the fall collection, but instead of fall's nearly all black and navy palette, this is perfect for spring. Er, sorry, pre-spring.

Above: Everybody also know that I never match my clothes, but after seeing this, I'm going one step further: clash. Seriously. This is genius. Reminds me a bit a Chris Benz color-scheme, which is pretty much the greatest compliment anyone could ever give Chris Benz.

photos: Don Ashby/firstVIEW