Christophe Lemaire, Spring 2011

Hermes’ next womens’ design director, Christophe Lemaire, presents his Spring 2011 RTW collection during the Haute Couture presentations in Paris providing a provocative if not compelling preview of what’s to come.

Mondrian, 1991

Italian couturier, Francesso Maria Bandini, piggybacks YSL and takes Mondrian’s modernist masterpiece into the 3rd dimension.

Louis Feraud, 2002

Louis Feraud, Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2002

It was Feraud’s last attempt to maintain its clout as a purveyor of directional fashion. But rather than devote the marketing and design resources to re-establish the name, Feraud’s new owners opted to close the couture and let their dubious Artistic director, Yvan Mispelaere, walk out.

Lanvin, 1990

Claude Montana poses adjacent to Lanvin’s “Mother/ Daughter” emblem

20 years ago, well before Shaw-Lan Wang and Alber Elbaz got their hands on Paris’ oldest operating fashion house, Lanvin felt the effects of stagnation and had the keen idea to follow Chanel’s lead and hire a star name. In 1990 they appointed maverick designer and the toast of Paris Claude Montana to jazz up their Haute Couture. Despite critical acclaim, the endeavor set the company back 50 million and Montana was released in 1992…