TWO years ago, an exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York showcased 100 photographs of New York City. Princeton Architectural Press has released “Paris Changing,” rephotographs of scenes shot by the Parisian photographer Eugène Atget from 1897 to 1927, the year he died. A hundred years ago, as Atget was planting his tripod in the suburbs of Paris, Lanvin opened her atelier. Conservative yet romantic, her silken body-skimming dresses were saturated in rich colors like Polignac rose (a pomegranate blush, named for her daughter, Marie-Blanche, Comtesse de Polignac), and showcased her vision of idealized femininity. Lanvin’s fashions were so synonymous with taste and beauty that in the ’30s, she was a designer of choice for women being presented at the British Court, and the royal family dressed Princesses Margaret and Elizabeth in Lanvin for portraits. His dresses are favored by today’s international high-fashion court Nicole Kidman , Cate Blanchett , Kate Moss, Chloë Sevigny and the long gowns he unveiled in the Paris tents a few weeks ago earned a standing ovation. read more

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