Olivier Rousteing may have a Balmain army, as he likes to say on his very active Instagram account, but with a new store bowing in London's Mayfair next week and a shop in Soho expected to open in New York before the end of 2015, it's one he has to keep building. "You can't put Balmain in a box," he said amid the bustle of his showroom. With an eye to expanding his customer base, he touched on something new in his four-year stint at the house: flowers.
Rousteing inherited a label known for hard-edged glamour—emphasis on hard. Over time, he's played up the glam side of things, the disco knits from Spring being the most recent example. For Pre-Fall, his floral prints in hothouse shades of red and ultraviolet had a louche, overgrown quality. Fluid, generously cut flares and backless halter-neck tops made you think of Jerry Hall and Guy Bourdin, while a fitted blazer in the red version of the print and a matching draped silk skirt seemed destined to be a hit with the street-style crowd. The news was the softness. See the pleated jumpsuits cinched with wide belts high on the waist (he mentioned Madame Grès), the slouchy black velvet evening pj's, and an oversize cashmere coat that wrapped and belted like a robe. With the '70s trending everywhere, Balmain is in good company, but that's not to say Rousteing is following. The collection looked very much like him, with rich touches such as long fringes of beads and gold-dipped pleats. We expect him to continue down this path on his Fall runway in March.
