Only a couple of years ago, no self-respecting fashionista would have been caught dead in Lanvin. A brand stuck in the past, it had plenty of pedigree -- but was about as chic as white socks and sandals.

But thanks to the efforts of podgy Moroccan-born designer Alber Elbaz, the venerable couture house's creations are now topping the must-have lists of some of the world's most fashionable women -- and men, too, following the launch of the Lanvin en Bleu line of casual menswear.

In stores since late last month, the label for style-conscious males far transcends the French house's traditional business apparel, and is testament to the high-fashion kudos Lanvin has acquired in just the past couple of years.

First winning approval from industry insiders, led by American Vogue's Editor, Anna Wintour, and then in short order superstars such as Kate Moss, Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett, the brand's widening appeal is a classic trickle-down effect. "We're very popular with fashion-industry people," says Lanvin PR Manager Maki Ohara. "And we've been lucky to be picked up by some of Japan's most fashion-forward boutiques."

Consumer prizes

It is, though, the Ginza flagship store in Tokyo that has done most to reinstate Lanvin's brand image to the pantheon of premier consumer prizes. "Having a presence here in Ginza is very important for the brand," says Lanvin Japan Chairman Yukari Kagami. "Luxury firms that aren't represented here are putting their future in jeopardy."

Kagami has more than sales of clothes to worry about. With much of Lanvin's global revenue generated by license deals, the strong brand concept the impressive flagship boutique conveys not only travels the world with shopaholic Japanese tourists, but wafts profitably over all-important sales of fragrances, too. Its annual license business is worth 30 billion yen, excluding sales of women's pre^t-a-porter for the Ginza store, for which figures are not available.

The splendid two-story Chuo-dori store, designed by architect Hiroshi Nakamura, boasts an eye-popping exterior studded with 3,000 clear acrylic cylinders, which act like tiny windows by day and by night channel light from inside so that the building seems to sparkle with fairy lights.

Inside, it's the women's collection on the first floor and menswear upstairs -- though both floors are also divided down the middle. On one side, luxurious carpeting and Versailles-style molded wall panels harken to Lanvin's opulent Parisian past, while the other is all raw concrete, reflecting the house's post-renaissance modernity.

Founded in 1889, when Jeanne Lanvin opened her own millinery workshop at age 18, by 1925 the company employed over 800 people to handle orders for her intricately beaded evening gowns and to manage other aspects of her booming business.

For a maison famed for elegant silhouettes and feminine flourishes, forging an identity for men's lines hasn't been easy. But General Manager Kagami is keen to highlight the venerability of Lanvin's menswear. "Lanvin first came to Japan in the form of neckties," she points out. "We were famed for 'cravates speciales' -- hand-woven ties that could cost hundreds of dollars. Our nipped-waist suits have been part of the Japanese businessman's wardrobe for decades."

Besides a broad selection of off-the-peg numbers, the Ginza store has a resident master tailor who offers bespoke suits (from 400,000 yen) and shirts (from 18,000 yen) through a made-to-order service for which there is now a two-month waiting list for fittings.

Distressed denim

In contrast, Lanvin en Bleu targets a younger, more trend-conscious customer, more likely to wear jeans and sneakers than a double-breasted suit. Ranging from distressed denim and biker jackets to smart car coats and bejeweled cufflinks, the line captures a contemporary French chic in sharp silhouettes and high-quality fabrics.

It may be a far cry from the classic creations of yore, but this refined new label's designs all come from the same Paris atelier that has served Lanvin's discerning, and well-heeled, customers worldwide for generations.