Flanked by the designer Karl Lagerfeld and the fashion ingénue and rap behemoth Kanye West, Louis Vuitton director Delphine Arnault’s reception for the finalists for the second LVMH Young Fashion Designer prize was never going to be a quiet affair. Last year’s winner of the €300,000 grant, and a year’s mentorship, was the Canadian-born, London-based womenswear designer Thomas Tait. It must have seemed strange for him to watch the proceedings as the outgoing appointed one — like a beauty queen having to graciously pass on the crown, the wiry Tait was doing a round of the 26 finalists on show alongside some of the most influential figures in fashion.
两侧站着设计师卡尔•拉格菲尔德(Karl Lagerfeld)与时尚新锐兼说唱巨星坎耶•维斯特(Kanye West)，可见路易威登(Louis Vuitton)总监德尔菲娜•阿尔诺(Delphine Arnault)举办的第二届LVMH青年时装设计师奖(LVMH Young Fashion Designer)决赛招待会从来不会是一件低调的事情。去年获得30万欧元、加上为期一年指导培训机会的是在加拿大出生、伦敦立业的女装设计师托马斯•泰特(Thomas Tait)。作为即将交棒的前任获胜者，他看着活动的进行，一定会觉得很不可思议--如同一位选美皇后必须优雅地把皇冠传递下去，高瘦的泰特和26位决赛入围者身边都是一些在时尚界最具影响力的人物。