Jeanne Lanvin: Her Paris at the Turn of the 20th Century

The name Lanvin is well recognized in the contemporary fashion industry. It is associated with a fashion house famed for designing beautiful dresses, daytime outfits, and Lanvin fragrances. The perfumes of this brand are nearly a hundred years old, yet they remain some of the most avidly purchased on the global market. But who was Jeanne Lanvin, the founder of the Parisian fashion house, and how did she manage to create a fashion empire that has endured for decades?

Jeanne Lanvin was born in Paris in 1867. She embarked on her fashion journey quite young. As a teenager, she worked in a dressmaker's salon and engaged in the same activity that would later characterize her rival, Coco Chanel – designing beautiful women's hats. However, Lanvin the milliner quickly turned into Lanvin, the owner of her own fashion house, as she soon realized her talent and other interests could support her independently.

Initially, she passionately sewed dresses for her beloved and only daughter, Marguerite. Even before Marguerite's birth, Jeanne Lanvin had been crafting unique dolls, which she later sold at the market. With time, her love for crafting transformed into a great passion for dressmaking and at the end of the 19th century, after training in Madame Felix's workshop in Paris, Lanvin decided to open her own fashion house.

Jeanne Lanvin - From Milliner to Haute Couture Designer

By then, her hats were worn by the grandest ladies of Paris, so it was time for dresses and elegant accessories. In 1909, Jeanne Lanvin was admitted to the prestigious Syndicate of Couture, a final affirmation of her position as a haute couture designer. In contrast to her contemporaries (and competitors), Lanvin created relatively traditional outfits, devoid of the avant-garde of Madame Vionnet or the concrete styles of Coco Chanel.

Supposedly, Jeanne Lanvin had a tumultuous relationship with the latter, mainly fueled by Chanel's jealousy of Lanvin's professional and private successes (after divorcing Italian Count Emilio di Pietro, Lanvin happily married journalist Xavier Melet). Lanvin's creations were elegant and captivated with their thoughtful embellishments and cuts that enhanced every woman's beauty.

The Lanvin Fashion House: Perfumes, Dresses, and Beautiful Accessories

In 1927, the first Lanvin fragrance premiered. The Arpège perfume was immediately met with great enthusiasm and marked the start of another era for the Lanvin fashion house. From that moment, the Parisian designer began creating not only beautiful outfits but also fragrances and various types of accessories, expanding the range of her thriving company. This tradition of engaging in various fields related to fashion, beauty, and fragrances is continued today, which is why the Lanvin fashion house offers so many products with the famous Parisian brand logo.

Without a doubt, the contemporary popularity of the Lanvin fashion house has been influenced by the long-term collaboration with designer Alber Elbaz, who held the position of creative director of the brand for eleven years. Several years ago, Elbaz decided to leave, but even this did not shake the over-a-century-old brand, which continues to present us with stunning creations every season and produces fragrances that every modern woman wants to smell like.