In between his men's show two Saturdays ago and today, Olivier Rousteing was in London working on the campaign for his Balmain x H&M collection. He was still on a high this morning when he swept into the showroom to present his Resort offering. But it's not just the collaboration with the fast-fashion giant he's excited about. There's a New York Balmain store set to open in late 2015, and with sales rising, the brand is eyeing locations farther flung, like L.A.; Doha, Qatar; Dubai; and China.
The Resort lineup will look at once familiar and fresh to his growing global audience. Knitted suede dresses are lower-key, neutral-colored updates of colorful braided styles that first appeared on his Fall '14 runway. Not unlike his recent menswear collection, a good part of his new womenswear was rendered in earthy tones. The lace-front jumpsuit and dress looked like callbacks to Yves Saint Laurent's famous Saharienne. Elsewhere, he tried new things, like a graphic lace in the shape of coral branches that appeared on a strapless dress and fitted separates. Even more unexpected: the tiers of frills on a floor-length dress that almost qualified as romantic, and other ruffles that swished and spiraled down palazzo pants. Rousteing has been experimenting with flou lately, with somewhat mixed results. Fall's palazzos were a bit challenging. The ruffled ones here looked surprisingly right paired with a tough-chick, zip-front black leather bustier.
