French fashion house established by Jeanne Lanvin in 1889 — Lanvin is reputedly the oldest fashion house in Paris. Jeanne Lanvin started as a milliner, and later expanded into clothing after friends and customers admired the elaborate clothing she created for her daughter, Marguerite. Lanvin died in 1946, and since then the company has changed hands numerous times. In 2001, then-owners L'Oreal sold the company to investment group Harmonie SA. Shortly after, Alber Elbaz was appointed creative director. Elbaz left in 2015.
The first fragrance, Irisé, appeared in 1923. Well known fragrances from Lanvin include My Sin (1925), Arpège (1927, relaunched 1993; see our reviews of the modern and vintage versions) and Scandal (1933). Arpège was created for Lanvin's daughter Marguerite, and is known for the bottle design featuring a drawing of Lanvin and her daughter by French artist Paul Iribe. A complete list of the house's fragrances, including discontinued scents, is available on the Lanvin website (see link below).
Modern releases from Lanvin include Oxygene (2000), Eclat d'Arpège (2002), Lanvin Vetyver (2003).
The Lanvin fragrance business is owned by Inter Parfums.
Recent fragrances from Lanvin
Recent launches include Arpège Pour Homme (2005), Rumeur (2006), Lanvin L'Homme Silver (2006), Eclat d'Arpege Summer (2007), Rumeur 2 Rose (2008), Jeanne Lanvin (2008), L'Homme Sport (2009), Jeanne La Rose (2009), Marry Me (2010), Jeanne La Plume (2011), Avant Garde (2011), Marry Me Love Edition (2012), Jeanne Lanvin Couture (2012), Éclat d’Arpège Gourmandise (2012), Marry Me à la Folie (2013), Lanvin Me (2013), Marry Me! Love Balloons (2014), Jeanne Lanvin Couture Birdie (2014), Me L'Eau (2014), Éclat d'Arpège Arty (2014), Me L'Absolu (2014), Marry Me! Confettis (2015), Éclat d'Arpège Pour Homme (2015), Éclat de Fleurs (2015), Éclat d'Arpège Eyes On You (2015), Jeanne Lanvin Scandal (2016), Modern Princess (2016), Modern Princess Eau Sensuelle (2017), Éclat de Nuit (2018)
Where to buy
The Lanvin line can be found at department stores (check Saks Fifth Avenue) and online fragrance discounters.
Website
Further reading
See all articles on Now Smell This tagged Lanvin.
Read We All Love Lanvin at the Telegraph.