“When I’m on the streets of Paris, that’s what I see.” said creative director Demna Gvasalia post-show. His Fall 2019 collection for the house of Balenciaga was yet another step away from the urban normcore streetwear that he has proposed through his own founded label, Vetements. His vision of Paris this season is that of a more refined set, more akin to who Cristobal Balenciaga dressed during his heyday in the 1950s. But the looks presented on the runway were anything but vintage. They were modern in how they were tailored, most noteworthy of which were the suits that had round shoulders. Although Gvasalia’s signature boxy and broad sharp shoulders were still there, the rounder variation was a pleasant surprise. What was also still present was the sportswear, oversized and glamourized to evoke a more couture-worthy impression rather than the signature urban flair. Some models, most of whom were men, even held shopping bags as if just to show the same normcore attitude that Gvasalia perpetuates in both designer labels. The new age of Balenciaga has truly begun, and it’ll be exciting to see how the designer that relatively introduced streetwise sportswear into the high fashion arena will now move on to traditional codes of haute couture.
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni / Gorunway.com
