Ka-ching, Ka-ching...

Went the chain mail. In a sea of quiet luxury, the cognoscenti hear Julien Dossena's Paco Rabanne loud and clear.

-  JESSICA IREDALE

What defines a fashion designer's dream job these days? Is it the fame, fortune, and influence of a top gig at a mega-luxury house? Or is it taking on a sleepy brand, doing what you want with it, and then making everyone pay attention? 

When Julien Dossena was named creative director at Paco Rabanne 10 years ago, the stakes were low. The iconoclastic Rabanne, who died in February at 88, came on the scene in 1966 with a collection, "Manifesto: 12 Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials," that shocked Paris, but by the time he walked away in 1999 the label was a stale time capsule. Barbarella, whose costumes Rabanne designed, was no one's idea of a modern woman.

The 30-year-old Dossena was an intriguing hire, snatched from under Nicolas Ghesquière's wing at Balenciaga, where the latter had restored a catatonic brand (also Spanish, also embalmed by the myth of its founder) to the apex of au courant desirability. "Nicolas told me, 'You can make it, but you have to go long-term," Dossena recalls, crediting his longtime friend and mentor for the sage advice. "It's almost easier to make a hit and stay for three years. You're the new darling in town, and people are craving newness in the industry in general. I thought, Be steady, be compact, be solid in what you propose."