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Balmain

Resort 2024 RTW

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Properties

Date: June 7, 2023
Location: Paris, France
Looks: 119
Brand: Balmain
URL: wwd.com

Critic Reviews

By Tina Isaac-Goizé for Vogue

Olivier Rousteing’s tenure at Balmain has lasted a dozen years already, but to hear him tell it he’s still “finding confidence” with the house. “I live almost every day of my life like a new chapter,” the designer offered during a showroom visit.

It may ring counterintuitive, but it takes confidence to dive into the archives of a designer whose name is now more closely associated with Rousteing than it is with a founder’s signature—the kind that, decades if not a century on, remains the lifeblood of other heritage houses. Mention Pierre Balmain, and few would be able to summon a catchphrase like ”jolie madame.”

Now that Rousteing no longer needs to prove himself, exploring Balmain’s heritage opens up a new path. That might mean sculpted ”jolie madame” jackets with rounded shoulders and nipped waists or culottes, in statement-making combinations of red, light blue, and mint. Or leopard print in lurex jacquard. Or even hats inspired by the ’50s and ’70s, shown here in their true-to-heritage dimensions. It might mean an oversized twist on the lavaliere blouse. Or it might be a sculpted leather top, or taking details like archival embroidery or a crystal brooch and exploding them into an entire dress.

Post-pandemic life has brought a sea change, the designer noted. “Chic and comfort take on a new meaning every decade, and today things have shifted again,” the designer observed. ”During Covid it was loungewear. Now, people want to wear more unique things.” When you already own a zillion hoodies, a special jacket holds fresh appeal that Rousteing likened to a piece of art, albeit art that’s less stealth wealth (let alone norm-core) than in-your-face.

“If it’s not part of your DNA, there’s no point in jumping on the same bus,” he said. That goes for men, too. After a century of borrowing from men’s closets, women’s wear now is returning the favor. ”It shows that the codes of humanity are changing,” the designer said.

While Rousteing’s muses include Josephine Baker, Brigitte Bardot, and Beyoncé, the American Dream, too, is a through-line. Those on his maximalist wavelength will delight in one of the star-spangliest collections the designer has produced to date. Take, for example, a jacket with one of Monsieur Balmain’s signature constructions—a nip-waisted jacket now revisited with a lashing of stars and stripes in the form of crystal fringe. Ornamental trim borrowed from the cowboy lexicon is blown up into lavishly embroidered jackets, bodycon dresses, or pants. In a comparatively pared-back vein, a jacket in beige and black patent leather let the designer show his construction chops. A few workhorse pieces, among them a sharply cut python-print leather trench, will likely move fast. It is probably not coincidental, either, that Texas looms large in the brand’s retail strategy: September will see the opening of outposts in Dallas and Houston.

“The new American Dream is that you get to redefine it all the time,” the designer offered. ”For me, the American dream is being free to be who you want to be.”

By Joelle Diderich for WWD

Olivier Rousteing isn’t the first designer to succumb to the lure of the American Dream. Pierre Balmain, the founder of the French fashion house where Rousteing has been creative director for 12 years, traveled frequently to the U.S. and his ambassadors included Josephine Baker.

“What Josephine Baker was to Monsieur Balmain, Beyoncé is to me,” Rousteing said. “She’s my muse.”

The pair cocreated Balmain’s recent Renaissance Couture collection, so it was only fitting that Rousteing’s resort line should be inspired by the “Formation” singer’s birthplace: Texas.

While Rousteing has never set foot in the Lone Star State, it didn’t really matter: his collection riffed on the kind of cowboy arcana familiar to anyone who’s ever watched a western movie. Think body-con dresses lavishly embroidered with paisley motifs and arabesques; hourglass jackets and sweaters “glamified” with rhinestone fringe, and a plethora of python.

Two years ago, the designer created some costumes for “The Harder They Fall,” alongside a spin-off collection inspired by the spirit of the Netflix movie, produced by Shawn Carter, aka Beyoncé’s husband Jay-Z. Back then, it was all denim and rust-colored suede.

Here, many looks were rendered in graphic black-and-white, in a melding of Far West inspirations with Balmain’s heritage “Jolie Madame” style, underlined by saucer-like hats that combined archival designs with materials like mock croc, and super-pointy cowboy boots with shimmering crystal buckles.

Rousteing took his concept to the outer limits with showstoppers including his ‘n’ hers sequin-encrusted jackets with a swinging curtain of fringe, which positively screamed Lil Nas X. Quiet luxury it ain’t, but Rousteing said his clients were in the market for something a little lustier.

“Luxury is facing a lot of challenges for a host of reasons, with the whole global situation, but people are hungry for the kind of extremely luxurious pieces we provide,” he said, noting a shift away from logos and streetwear since the end of the coronavirus pandemic. “These days, people want clothes that are bold without necessarily being branded.”

The designer was just back from New York City, where he was honored at The New School’s annual Parsons Benefit, and was already plotting his next visit Stateside, as Balmain prepares to open stores in Houston and Atlanta in July, Dallas in September and Costa Mesa in October.

Rousteing is betting clients there will be taking style cues from Beyoncé, who is wowing audiences with her high-fashion looks on her current “Renaissance World Tour.” “In the end, how many brands do you need to make a beige sweater?” he said with a smile.