Some designers are able to so fully give themselves to a house it becomes impossible to imagine the two as separate entities. Such was the case with Nicolas Ghesquière and Balenciaga or Alber Elbaz, whose name is synonymous with Lanvin — even though it fired him in 2015 . Since his departure, the label has struggled to find its financial and aesthetic footing . While Elbaz brought a diaphanous magic that revived the oldest French house still in operation, bringing in a new voice can backfire as well. Under new leadership, brands as old as Dior undergo dramatic shifts that can never entirely be undone. In my mind, Ungaro has still not entirely clawed back its dignity after allowing Lindsay Lohan to “artistic advise” its garish, widely panned spring ’10 collection.