Lanvin has unveiled its Autumn 2024 collection and the French brand’s inspiration this time is very British. It’s been inspired by 1920s and 30s  ‘It girl’ and artists’ muse Nancy Cunard.

The English (well, half-American) heiress may had had a sad end, but in the Jazz Age and the depression-hit decade that followed she was a prominent figure on the social scene as well as being a writer and anti-fascist/anti-racism activist.

Lanvin, which was itself founded by one of the early 20th century’s most prominent women, said that although “Cunard and Jeanne Lanvin’s relationship was not extensively documented, the contemporaries were united at the intersection of fashion and the arts.

“Cunard was an intellectual who moved with conviction against the status quo, advocating for racial and social justice in 1920s and 1930s Paris”. 

Man Ray, a later collaborator of Jeanne Lanvin, photographed Cunard in 1926 with bangles stacked up both arms,” which is one of the defining images of the 1920s.

The company added that “her wardrobe, mixing masculine tailoring and bohemian style, holds an energy of how we dress today”.

For the new season, Lanvin “inflects these codes with a youthful vigour in menswear and womenswear collections featuring a daytime wardrobe centred around sharp tailoring and elegant sportswear and evening proposals from embellished cocktail to the charmeuse gowns and grain de poudre tuxedos for which the maison is universally known”.

It has added accessories that “build upon recent seasons in channeling a discreet refinement across a range of categories including an expanding leather goods offer, formal shoes with a focus on the iconic ballerina, costume jewellery, and sneakers”.