Imagine waking up as Olivier Rousteing this week: The luxe maison that he’s creatively steered for five years, attracting an elite group of celebs and an #army of followers, was sold just a few days ago to a Qatari sovereign wealth fund for roughly $550 million. Leaving aside any personal gain, his horizon is rich with possibility. The “new day” vibes he’s opted to project onto Balmain’s Resort collection must now feel very real. “I obviously can’t say all the details, but I can say that we are going to expand Balmain to the world. It’s something I’m really happy for and I can’t wait,” he offered, between showing off a diaphanous tiered dress in mousseline printed to resemble rainbow moiré, and a body-con number in color-blocked macramé bordered with gold chain. Here’s betting that multihued crochet has never looked this hot.
Several of these sunset-to-sunrise looks were teased out in the men’s runway show. But it can’t hurt to look closer. Some pieces cascaded (flared, fluid knits; dramatic ponchos; and quilted capes); others clung (cutout suiting inspired by bombshell swimwear, the signature corset bustier minidresses). If Rousteing reveled in vintage ’70s glam, he also couldn’t resist a nod to the ’90s, and this mashup conjured Bianca or Veruschka starring in a Busta Rhymes video by Hype Williams. Electric tweeds, striated beading, and vibrant striped woven knitwear and slickened lacing treatments showed how color can be controlled rather than psychedelic, just as the military coat in denim spliced with nude organza, and a parka that patched denim suede and python adhered to Rousteing’s guiding principle that denim need not be basic. A number of looks shown here have already been requested by celebrity stylists, which attests to the realm that Balmain occupies, no matter what the future holds. A world in which far more of us dress with such forceful élan is almost impossible to imagine. But he seems determined to make it so.
