Perhaps it’s a good thing that Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing is so young (he’s 27). Because with youth comes fearlessness and Rousteing certainly showed no fear when it came to his fall 2013 collection for Balmain.
The amount of fried food involved may surprise you.
The Clothes: Sexy harlequin cartoon gangsters? From the ’90s? This is what I got from Olivier Rousteing’s spring 2013 show for Balmain. Balmain always emphasizes a strong shoulder but this time they were hugely exaggerated on extra-long blazers that came in stripes, harlequin diamonds, and a Versace/Miami-esque black and yellow print. These looks are not Read more →
PARIS–In his second season at Balmain, designer Olivier Rousteing, who succeeded Christophe Decarnin last year, sent out a super ornate over-the-top opulent collection for fall inspired, he told WWD, by Elizabeth Taylor and Fabergé eggs. Specifically, one particular Fabergé egg that Richard Burton gave Elizabeth Taylor (Rousteing saw it in New York when he visited Read more →
We’ll cut right to the chase: A lot of crazy shit happened in the fashion world this year. While the industry that we call home can sometimes seem isolated and fantastical, many of its key players and events made headlines even in the mainstream media over the course of 2011.
In the last 365 days, we’ve seen our share of ups and downs: There have been exciting new beginnings and tragic falls from grace. A royal wedding and a Sarah Burton for McQueen dress captivated the world, while Galliano’s dress for Kate Moss made the fashion world swoon. We’ve celebrated the return of older models—like when 46-year-old Kristen McMenamy wore a bikini on the cover of Vogue Italia—and saw plenty of controversy surrounding very young ones. Just when we thought the boundaries of gender identity were breaking for good and that Lea T could kiss Kate Moss on the cover of LOVE, a men’s mag openly calls androgynous model Andrej Pejic a “thing.” We took it all in stride, and we’ve hopefully come out better on the other side.
Looking back at 2011, we’ve chosen twenty major moments that we believe defined the year in fashion. Which one made the biggest impact on you?
PARIS–Yesterday in a spare white showroom on the Rue Réaumur, Balmain debuted their lower priced collection Pierre Balmain. The latest installment in a series of digital shorts directed by Inez and Vinoodh featuring Abbey Lee and her band Our Mountain, clad in Pierre Balmain, screened in a loop on one wall while the collection was styled on mannequins across another.
While Balmain is known for being over-the-top–both in the way of blingy embellishments and price–Pierre Balmain is refreshingly pared down and prices start at just $180 (and runs as high as $1200 for leather jackets). It’s cool, downtown street wear in the style of Emmanuelle Alt and her mini-mes: the perfect motorcycle jacket (it comes in vest form, too); low-slung skinny jeans with subtle ribbed detailing at the hips and zippers at the ankles; loose tuxedo jackets; and athletic-inspired boxy tops and jackets, some with the “PB” Pierre Balmain logo emblazoned across the back like a varsity jacket. There was a prevalent zebra print that ran throughout the collection–it showed up on button downs and jeans–inspired by the designer’s first trip to Africa, after which he brought home a big zebra rug. The only ridiculous Balmain-ish item in the collection is the leather sweatpants. I mean, really?
PARIS–You could almost feel the anticipatory buzz before Olivier Rousteing presented his first collection as creative director of Balmain yesterday. The young designer was an assistant at the label before he was named as Cristophe Decarnin‘s replacement last April. Decarnin polarized critics with his crazy expensive slashed tees, strong-shouldered cropped jackets and skinny jeans, but he also created a frenzy–”Balmania”–for the line (thanks also in part to Emmanuelle Alt‘s styling). Could Rousteing fill his shoes?
When news broke a few months ago that Balmain was launching a more affordable second line, the question on everyone’s mind was: “How much will a T-shirt cost?” The answer? About $172.
The first collection for Pierre Balmain (as the lower-priced line will be called) will hit stores this December for Spring 2012, WWD is reporting. The prices will range from $172 for a tee to $1,291 for eveningwear. Not exactly Zara prices, but certainly more attainable than the main line. The line will include men’s and women’s categories. Balmain has its sights set on the international market with this line, with planned store openings in Hong Kong, Milan, Paris, and Rome.
Usually, it’s editorial shakeups that get us all confused and inspire us to create befuddling charts and guides to recap and (at least attempt to) make sense of movement within the fashion industry. Lately, however, it seems that most of the movement is taking place at big fashion houses. Whether it’s the economy or designers getting burnt-out, it seems like a top level position opens (or gets filled) every week.
From Galliano’s exit from Dior to Marios Schwab’s from Halston (which happened so recently we didn’t have a chance to include it), here’s our little visual guide to the recent ins and outs at major fashion houses.
Now that Balmain has installed a new head designer (Olivier Rousteing replaced Christophe Decarnin last month), the French fashion house, known for its absurdly expensive clothing, is launching a secondary ready-to-wear collection called Pierre Balmain, says WWD.
The line, funded by Italy’s Ittierre SpA, will be designed by a different team than the runway collection, but will have to be OKed by Rousteing and his cohorts. The best news for Balmain fans is that it’s unlikely you’ll see a $1,625 t-shirt in this collection, since Ittierre probably wants to actually sell more than a few outfits. What’s more, there are rumblings that the launch will take place this September in New York. Woohoo! We’ll keep you updated.
Olivier Rousteing Confirmed as New Designer at Balmain (and Also He’s Hot): He’s been Decarnin’s right-hand man at Balmain since 2009, and spent five years at Roberto Cavalli before that. We can’t speak to his design talent yet, but he certainly is easy on the eyes. Paris just got a bit more picturesque. {WWD, subscription required}
Victoria’s Secret Destroys Returned Purchases: Apparently the retailer didn’t learn anything from H&M’s PR nightmare for this same issue. The lingerie chain was called out after a clerk started chopping up–in front of a customer–an unworn pair of Pink sweatpants that she had returned. {MSNBC}
Jason Wu Is Collaborating on a Line of Faucets: Jason Wu is collaborating with fancy bathroom fixture company Brizo to create high-end faucets. No word on if there will be soap dish accessories. {DailyNews}
Following the announcement on April 6 that Balmain was parting ways with Christophe Decarnin, comes word that one of his key deputies, Olivier Rousteing, will succeed him, WWD is reporting.
There isn’t much known about Rousteing. From his LinkedIn profile, WWD learned that the designer has worked at Balmain for three years and worked at Roberto Cavailli for six years before that. According to sources Rousteing is “as a young and promising creative dynamo.”
