ALBER ELBAZ UNEXPECTEDLY DEPARTS LANVIN

Alber Elbaz has departed as creative director of Lanvin, the Parisian-based fashion house he has overseen for the past 14 years, according to numerous published reports. No replacement has been named.

Lanvin is best known for its women’s couture collections and dressing movie stars such as Oscar winner Meryl Streep, who presented the Israeli-born Elbaz with the Superstar Award last week at the Fashion Group’s International Night of Stars, but it also has a significant men’s business, which is sold at the company’s store on Madison Avenue, as well as such retailers as Barneys, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Neiman Marcus.

Elbaz’s sudden departure may have been caused by disagreements with owner Shaw Lan-Wang, or from burnout from having to create so many collections each year, a complaint he voiced during the International Night of Stars. He has a 10 percent ownership stake in Lanvin, and it has not been announced if that stake has been or will be sold.

The designer previously worked for Guy LaRoche and Yves Saint Laurent before joining Lanvin. Speculation has emerged that he may join Dior, whose head designer Raf Simons resigned unexpectedly on October 22.