After a controversial start to Paris fashion week, as reports spread of Balenciaga’s mistreatment of their models, Demna Gvaasalia needed to pull out all the stops at today’s show. Luckily, the show was an artistic triumph, with a stunning array of eye catching and visually creative looks, proving that Gvaasalia is continuing to revolutionize the label.
The venue at Porte de Champerret, was a large open space with a concrete, industrial feel and with a sparse runway covered in the brand’s name. The opening looks consisted of high necked and reshaped coats that were gathered at one shoulder and accessorized with a broach, asymmetric statement earrings and over sized bags. These misshapen coats were teamed with floaty skirts and brightly coloured knee high boots, adding a significant pop of colour to the ensembles. One particularly bold colour that featured predominantly throughout the collection was lime green, which was seen on shirts, tights, boots, shoes, skirts and waist belts.
It is evident that Demna Gvaasalia had a lot of fun with this collection, and brought in aspects of everyday culture into his pieces. We particularly love how he transformed car mats into high waisted skirts and how he made laundry bags and what appear to be branded sleeping bags into the perfectly coordinated arm accessory. A touch of femininity was seen in the floral mini sun dresses, ruffled collared shirts and cinched in waists, however, most of this collection emphasized the over sized silhouette, with power shoulders, statement accessories and puffy details taking centre stage. The most impressive looks were of course left to the end, with stunning, over sized dresses leaving the audience gasping and taking to their phones to capture every moment. Couture-esque pieces sashayed down the runway, from over sized ruffles and bows to an ostrich feathered showstopper with a matching feathered bag. Polka dots, florals, stripes and embroidered gowns also made a feature, the perfect closing pieces to the show.
The cold and industrial backdrop was the perfect setting to showcase this collection. From start to finish, the looks were creative and bold and were not for the fainthearted. Balenciaga may have had a difficult week, but today’s show was a welcome distraction and has shown that creative director, Demna Gvaasalia continues to successfully push the boundaries.
