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Gigi Hadid Freed the Nipple at Lanvin’s Fall/Winter 2019 Show

The house may have finally found its savior, post–Alber Elbaz.

by Steph Eckardt

Lanvin : Runway - Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2019/2020
Peter White/Getty Images

Much like Kendall Jenner, who’s so far only walked a single show this season, Gigi Hadid has been quite selective about her runway appearances at Fashion Week this time around. After walking in the Prada show at Milan Fashion Week, which saw her once again bleach her eyebrows, Hadid made her latest runway appearance on Wednesday morning, in Paris, at Lanvin’s fall/winter 2019 show, which may have been the house’s last shot.

To say that the past few years have been rocky for Lanvin might be an understatement. Since the house ousted its beloved creative director Alber Elbaz, it has gone through no fewer than four creative directors in under four years, beginning with the designer Bouchra Jarrar’s 16-month stint. The latest to step up to the plate is Bruno Sialelli, a 31-year-old, little-known designer who was only formally announced to have taken over the position last month, and who himself has acknowledged the “challenge” that lies ahead.

So far, the reviews have been mixed, but it’s hard to deny Sialelli’s wisdom in his choice of a showstopper. He didn’t just land a rare booking of Hadid; Sialelli also sent her out on the makeshift runway, constructed in Musée Cluny, France’s museum of the Middle Ages, wearing a pale pink peacoat, off-white trousers, sunglasses, and a shirt printed with the same motif of artful nude bodies that could be found on her trousers. The shirt, however, was sheer, meaning that it also happened to showcase Hadid’s own artful nude body.

Gigi Hadid walks the runway of Lanvin’s fall/winter 2019 show during Paris Fashion Week, on February 27, 2019.

Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty Images

This isn’t the first time that Hadid has freed the nipple on the runway—her nip slip at Versace’s show in 2016 even went viral—but it’s certainly the most notable occasion that she did so intentionally. Considering how much attention that last instance managed to get, Sialelli’s choice of ensemble for Hadid just might introduce the house to a whole new audience—and while they may be experts on everything Hadid, there’s a good chance that at least some are unfamiliar with Lanvin’s troubled past.

Related: Gigi Hadid Bleached Her Eyebrows for the Sake of Prada

Gigi Hadid Transforms Into Debbie Harry, Queen of Punk

Photograph by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott; Styled by Carlos Nazario.

Gigi Hadid wears a Chanel tank.

Photograph by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott; Styled by Carlos Nazario.

Gigi wears Isabel Marant top, pants, and sandals; Raen sunglasses; Sasha Samuel earrings.

Photograph by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott; Styled by Carlos Nazario.

Gigi wears Gucci dress and bracelet.

Gigi wears Mert & Marcus 1994 x DSquared2 jumpsuit; Eres bra; Intimissimi boy shorts; Alexander McQueen boots.

Photograph by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott; Styled by Carlos Nazario.

Gigi wears Chanel tank; Intimissimi boy shorts. Beauty note: Play it again. Nexxus Between Washes Air Lift Dry Texture Finishing Spray revives next-day hair with a hit of weightless volume.

Photograph by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott; Styled by Carlos Nazario.

Gigi wears Mert & Marcus 1994 x DSquared2 top and pants; Eres bra; Isabel Marant sandals.

Photograph by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott; Styled by Carlos Nazario.

Gigi wears Luar dress.

Photograph by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott; Styled by Carlos Nazario.

Gigi wears Alexandre Vauthier dress.

Photograph by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott; Styled by Carlos Nazario. Casting by Edward Kim at the Talent Group; Model: Gigi Hadid at IMG Models. Hair by Tomi Kono for R+Co at Julian Watson Agency; Makeup by Diane Kendal at Julian Watson Agency; Manicure by Deborah Lippmann for Deborah Lippmann at Starworks Artists. Set design by Devin Rutz. Produced by Leonard Cuinet-Petit and Silvia Nicoletti at Across Media Productions; Retouching by Dreamer; Fashion Assistants: Vesper Wolfe, Szalay Miller, Kendall Cordes; Tailor: Thao Huynh at 7th Bone Tailoring.
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