Paris Fashion Week: At Balenciaga, a whiff of sensuality
Alexander Wang showed his spring Balenciaga collection Wednesday night at Paris Fashion Week. But baby North West, dressed in a pint-size Yeezus concert tour tee, almost stole the show.
Kim, Kanye and the luckiest girl in the world, who already has a diamond in her ear larger than anything I’ll ever own, took their front-row seats at the last minute, sandwiched between designer Joseph Altuzarra and actress Noomi Rapace.
The evening time slot, the starry guest list, the sexy, dark, mirrored set, even the elegant snacks served — Champagne and dark chocolate macarons emblazoned with the letter “B” — were signals that Wang, who took over as creative director of Balenciaga in December 2012, was ready to kick things up a notch. With his first Balenciaga fragrance, B, a green floral with woodsy notes, set for release this month, he was ready to take his place as image maker and brand builder.
And so the show began with Kanye’s voice on the soundtrack, and a mirrored diamond grid for a runway with smoke effects wafting below. And out came the haute shorts, jumpsuits and sunglasses with sparkly “croakies.”
Not that the look was rock ’n’ roll exactly, not like Wang’s shows in New York certainly. it was rock ’n’ roll refined, or what Kim or B(eyonce) might wear to dinner at Jules Verne.
The inspiration: “Opulence,” according to show notes, or “the ornate flipside to Balenciaga’s tradition of austerity and purity.” Exuberant embroideries, some drawn from the Balenciaga couture archives, in diamond patterns, using bugle or seed beads. Threads of speed, sport and performance wear. A palette of black, white and pastels.
Key pieces: Elongated black duster coat with diamond embroidery at hips over sheer ruched long-sleeve top and satin shorts. Blush diamond-fringe embroidered dress. Peach dress with architectural-looking plisse top and bugle beaded sheer skirt. Floor-length white trapeze coat with off-the-shoulder detail over peach beaded diamond dress. White, figure-hugging minidress with ruched sheer tulle sides that looked tailor-made for Kardashian. Frame bags with bicycle chain handles. Flat satin sandals with rubber soles.
The verdict: Elevated all right. It was satisfying to see the sport and street wear signatures from Wang’s namesake collection (duster coats, bustier tops, barely legal-shorts) and some of his humor (those croakies!) coming through. But what really made this collection soar was that it also had plenty of sparkle to light up the red carpet, which Balenciaga needs to do more of to generate branding buzz. There was also a whiff of sensuality, at long last, which should go a long way toward selling perfume, or pretty much anything else for that matter.
Follow me on Twitter: @booth1
