BALMAIN Pre-Fall 2015

Olivier Rousteing says his pre-fall for Balmain is moving toward more fluidity, in his mind, the Parisian louchness of the seventies. Read floaty super-wide-leg jumpsuits in poppy prints of “the sort of wallpaper patterns you can still find in restaurants in Paris,” he laughs. It’s another step along the way in his mission to invent a look for Balmain that doesn’t have to do with short, body-con, hyper-embellished dresses. Not to say that element doesn’t still exist in the line, or the wide-shouldered, brass-buttoned sharply tailored blazers which have been around since before Rousteing took over from Christophe Decarnin. Both continue as Balmain sells.

True, times have changed for this brand. Rousteing’s found a new generational constituency, made friends with Rihanna and Kanye and Kim Kardashian West, and put them all in Balmain’s advertising. You can’t knock that global reach, in itself a rare thing for a Parisian house that doesn’t belong to a giant corporation. What next? Maybe working on showing some things that could count as casual daywear would add some energy, and some lower price tags, so that the kids who follow Balmain might be able to afford a piece or two.

Selections by ANDREA JANKE Finest Accessories 

Photo Credit/Source: Courtesy of BALMAIN

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Alber Elbaz mixed so many impulses: fear of the times, counteracted by flourishes of spontaneous fun; respect for the reality of modern working women; and sensual enjoyment of rich, hippie eclecticism. In dispensing with explanatory press releases or belabored explanations of where his ideas come from, Elbaz is right: What you see and feel about this sequence of clothes hardly needs earnest subtitles.

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Masai-Inspirations by BALMAIN Pre-Fall 2014

“I’m going on my own road now,” BALMAIN's creative director Olivier Rousteing said, as he talked through his extensive pre-fall collection. A top-line tag of “safari” in the French sense might capture something of the traditional, pulled-together Parisian aspect of his collection. It ranged from shapely cable-knit sweaters to oversize khaki leather bombers, all the way through to zebra-patterned, crystal-embroidered dresses. On the other hand, it was all filtered through the sensibility of someone growing up with hip-hop; cue traces of cargo pockets and crop tops. 

Routsteing inherited Balmain at a time when it had become synonymous with short, tight body-con dressing. But what happens when that idea of sexy wears out? Shock! There were below-the-knee pencil skirts in this collection. That, perhaps, describes best the personal stamp Rousteing is putting on the house. The proportions are changing, maybe, but he’s moving things on to prove that looking hot can be achieved differently. “It’s showing that you can be sexy completely covered up,” he said, pointing out that the necklines are high, and some of them are stacked with gold necklaces inspired by the Masai. “I think this is my favorite collection so far,” he said, smiling. “I think it expresses a bit more than clothes. It’s a new message . . . this mix of cultures, hip-hop, and pop. That’s really me.”

Selections by ANDREA JANKE Finest Accessories

Photo Credit / Source: The House of Balmain

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'BALMAIN Fall/Winter 2014/15'

Balmain's Creative Director, Olivier Rousteing's words provide the interpretation for this collection which celebrates the freedom and self-confidence of today's women, contemporary muses who are able to connect their style with the many-sided zeitgeist of our times.

"Since the start of my collaboration with Balmain in 2011, I always drew inspiration from the archives, taking cues from the work of artists I love and conjuring the charm of exotic suggestions. For this collection, instead, I consider what is close to me, what is current and involves myself and my generation. It's a personal vision that touches me deeply".

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