Pre-fall 2023 is the fashion season that just won’t quit — with designer collections still unfurling almost five months after the early crowd, and on the eve of resort and pre-spring shows.
Balenciaga must surely be among the very last, releasing its pre-fall look book Thursday in tandem with the arrival of the clothes in store, making it a see now, buy now exercise heightened by the wry imagery: Models trying on the clothes and taking selfies in fitting rooms.
Here are minimalist concrete cubicles that are lit brightly enough to encourage the wearing of shield-style sunglasses. Dusty footprints on the black carpet offer a touch of grit when trying on pointy Witch Boots, or the tall Santiago style with its Western twang.
Balenciaga regular Eliza Douglas, a model and artist, hauled what looks like a dozen items into her cabin, settling on a loose satin running suit and a squishy handbag draped with a heavy chain.
Creative director Demna found new ways to express his boxy, oversize tailoring: doubling up or padding jackets and shirts; cropping peacoats and trenches and folding the hems under.
Puffer jackets also won’t quit, here bulked up, widened and flaring, but cropped bluntly just past the hip.
The women’s collection is dressy and elegant in an offbeat way: varsity jackets and tracksuits zhushed up in glossy fabrics, and the tailoring hulking, yet somehow echoing some of the curves that define the Hourglass handbag. Long, narrow skirts predominate.
Accessorized with squishy pool slides, the menswear skews more casual — coordinated pileups of oversize denim, logo jersey and some crushed velvet hoodies.
Balenciaga noted that most of the jewelry, eyewear and outerwear pieces are made with recycled elements as the house ramps up its sustainability efforts.
