Fashionista - Fashion Designers, Models, Shopping, Style

Feb 27, 2008 @ 12:40pm

Britt: Yesterday's Balenciaga collection scared me.

Brett: Really? It impressed me!

Britt: If a woman were to actually wear these clothes, Carine and Jennifer Connelly aside, she would look so scary, almost like a modern day warrior. The shoes practically look like weapons! Chic weapons, of course. The clothes are stunning, but more so as pieces of art, not something to actually put on your body.

Brett: But don't you think the Balenciaga Runway is like a petri dish for ideas? Nicolas pushes fashion forward, and to quote one of my favorite Cathy Horyn-isms, “adjusts the eye”. Also, what is the Balenciaga customer if not an urban warrior? All those curved seams, studs - for crying out loud, the house was rebuilt on a motorcycle bag!

Britt: The runway might be a platform on which to present an idea instead of necessarily wearable clothes, but shouldn't we at least aspire to wear that idea, especially if it's supposed to be Ready to Wear?

Brett: Leave all the subsidiary Balenciaga lines to give women something to wear, but let the seasonal shows provide clothes for the daring and the bored!

Discuss!

posted by poseur

Feb 27, 2008 12:59PM

i loved the cream-yellow(or red or black) blouses and some of the skirts. those ones are wearable. i think.

posted by Trendini

Feb 27, 2008 1:17PM

I found a few pieces quite wearable: the skinny gray pants, the jewelry was fantastic and for the Gap lover that I am, I was actually feeling for the oddly cut jackets

posted by collegiate

Feb 27, 2008 1:34PM

i thought the collection was wearable, and absolutely gorgeous as well. many of the pieces could mix into a wardrobe to bring a touch of the avant-garde into everyday life.

posted by Holly

Feb 27, 2008 2:18PM

Yes, yes, yes....what all of you said...but ....that woman in the picture is....scary

posted by guest

Feb 27, 2008 2:19PM

I personally loved it. Along with McQueen, Jil Sander and Prada, I almost hold my breathe to see what Balenciaga is gonna show. It may not be about wear-ability, but it's about the mobility, i think, of where we are in fashion as well as where we are going.

posted by swankenstein

Feb 27, 2008 2:57PM

i loved it. i think it's one of his more wearable collections. yumm

Feb 27, 2008 3:12PM

I love this collection.

Actually, I love almost everything that he does.

One can take a his tops/jackets & pair it up with jeans, tights or pants or vice versa & look soooooo chic!!

I also LOVE that you can see that he is very inspired by my idol THIERRY MUGLER in a lot of his collections.

Feb 27, 2008 3:22PM

This collection was fabulous and totally wearable. As a matter of fact I would kill to wear this stuff. The only pieces I thought were a bit much were the super sculpted shoulder jackets...a little too line backer, a little too warrior. I can see all the people clearing out of my way if I wore one down a NYC sidewalk. Might make my morning commute less stressful though.

posted by hannah

Feb 27, 2008 3:39PM

I absolutely loved this collection, but maybe I'm just a blind Balenciaga follower.... But oh well, I would totally wear one of the dresses in the beginning or the shiny coats!

posted by Lala

Feb 27, 2008 3:55PM

This collection MADE MY DAY when i saw it,i kid not.It dosent happen often kids but when it does i scream, yell and jump(it aint pretty).

I think it was wearable and i fail to see what was scary about it, stunningly cut jackets, clean shillouettes and minimalist sex-a job well done by Nicolas.

I didnt like the S/S collection but this one impressed me, i dreamt about those shoes after seeing the show, and even in my dream they were painful to wear but oh sooo worth it.

posted by urple

Feb 27, 2008 4:52PM

Yes, it's true that some of the pieces would be startling off the runway (latex coats)... but I'm sure there are some women out there that can pull it off. I can't wait for these looks to hit the streets. I want to see other people beside Jennifer and Nicole wearing the SS08 collection. There are also very wearable pieces that I really liked - the sweaters, skirts, and pants. In general, I really liked his collection, for its wearable and unwearable pieces.

posted by erinclaire

Feb 27, 2008 8:16PM

It took me a little while to warm to his Spring/Summer collection last year, but now I absolutely love it. I think it's genius..

As for whether I would wear it or not, I'm not sure I have the body to pull it off, but I can see some people absolutely rocking it and I'd admire them for it too.

This collection might just need a little time to warm up as well but good on him for doing something different.

posted by dHOMMEc

Feb 27, 2008 9:41PM

Not only was this collection wearable but one of Nicholas Ghesquieres' best. I also loved how he referenced the extreme almost armor like shapes of Cristobal Balenciaga and updated them with sleek fabrics and textures. These silhouettes are so relevant for this time of uncertainty because it gives the wearer a feeling of enclosure and stability. It was amazing on so many levels!!!!

Feb 28, 2008 9:48AM

Nicholas is one of my favorite designers, I just loooovee him. But I have to say that his last 2 collections (this one included) have left me with a question mark in my head that fades after a while 'cause I know he is just genius!

As to this collection... I'm going to go with what dHOMMEc said: Amazing on so many levels!!!

Feb 28, 2008 12:08PM

I've never understood Balenciaga, when designed by cristobal or nicholas. I just don't. it's never even vaguely wearable.