At his New Year's Eve party in Dubai, Olivier Rousteing threw Kendall Jenner into the sea—even though she was wearing the trousers she'd recently been shot in for U.S. Vogue. Rousteing recounts: "She said, 'But babe, they're Balmain!' I said, 'Yes, but I am the designer, so I can do whatever I want.'" This snippet might seem tangential to a menswear review, but the 28-year-old Rousteing's dedication to big-budget debauchery is, he reasons, as good a way of researching his market as any.
So what do Rousteing's male party people desire for Fall '15? Going by the evidence of this collection, they are hoping to resemble louche, skateboarding sea captains with a penchant for sparkle. Naval peacoats and greatcoats trimmed with gold frogging and oversize ersatz roaring-lion heraldry were layered over judo-belted velvet waistcoats. Trousers were either tight bikers—knit and leather—or supersize. The shoes were Balmain does Vans, in leather, sometimes gold, buckled, tasseled, or quilted. A green velvet blazer-facade jumpsuit was marvelously wrong, maximal androgynous. There were, of course, several jackets studded with crystal. No head was left un-beanied. Rousteing is confidently negotiating a fine line between extravagance and vulgarity. The Methuselah-drinking man who will want these pieces will need to be equally sure of himself to wear them well.
