Lanvin-Castillo - 1951

Blouse and skirt by Lanvin-Castillo, 1951.

I often marvel at the genius of couture.  What goes on in the minds of designers who dream up over-the-top fashion?  It's the fall of 1950.  Antonio Canovas del Castillo has been hired as the designer at Lanvin and needs to make a splash for his first collection in the Spring of 1951.  Was he sitting around one night, nervous as can be, folding and re-folding a piece of paper?  Was he unrolling a bolt of silk organza and the way the fabric folded upon itself caught his eye?  Did he take a class in origami at night school?  Whatever it was, Castillo's genius appeared in giant folds of white silk in several garments at that first showing for Lanvin.  And, oh, it was marvelous.

Same blouse, different view. Lanvin-Castillo, 1951

Another blouse, this one with giant folds at the collar.  Lanvin-Castillo, 1951.

And the piece-de-resistance, an incredible evening gown.  Lanvin-Castillo, 1951.