Oh my god, the Balenciaga show on Sunday was so perfect, a delightful soup of 1980s whimsy in an uncharacteristically dull Paris lineup. One item in particular really got me going: this hooded latex coat that looks like a very large condom!
The rest of the collection put forth by designer Demna Gvasalia felt almost as though it was made for a comic book superheroine. The theme centered around strong, exaggerated ‘80s silhouettes, with gigantic oversized bags paired with huge trenches and Members Only-style jackets stretched out to hold gargantuan shoulders. Gvasalia also offered spandex in an array of jewel tones, often blending into high-heeled legging boots.
Kim Kardashian was in the audience (just hours prior to being held up at gunpoint in her hotel) and you can be sure that the clothes here—especially theseboots—will show up on her entire family, as well as on several Hadids. But unlike certain other collections we’ve seen recently, these looks don’t seem to have been made for them, or for any other Instagram queen. They’re deeply rooted in the Balenciaga DNA, and they’re just fucking cool. And that is the way to do it.
Strangely, considering this collection is by one of the legion of male designers that dominate the womenswear industry, the show—in a really great, ironic way—had some fairly strong feminist undertones. Models, wearing low-key hair and makeup, marched stiffly down the runway in garments and accessories designed to take up as much space as possible while Chris Isaak’s creepy “Wicked Game” played on the soundtrack; as we recall the image of a half-naked Helena Christensen, the runway looks are defiantly covered-up.
