Ever since Olivier Rousteing announced back in 2018 that Balmain was to release haute couture, everyone was on edge. What would this superstar designer, whose entire fashion identity is all about 1980s glamour, do differently with couture? Well, it was a surprise to see the answer unfold at the house’s Spring 2019 Haute Couture show in Paris. Here, he continues the architectural approach that he’s been venturing into for the last few seasons, but more exaggerated for that signature couture effect. The classic 80s looks he’s always played were still there, albeit larger than life and more avant-garde than what he’s offered from the ready-to-wear. There were also some looks that were rounder, almost sculpture-like in execution, that evoked a more artistic vibe than what fashion is more used to from Rousteing. And for the finale, two ruffled ball gowns in shades if mint green and amethyst which were far from this designer’s usual vocabulary. It was an interesting show, to say the least, as it was a hybrid of old and new which, at times, didn’t even seem cohesive. But this was never an issue for Olivier Rousteing’s Balmain, it’s always going to about that social media revenue. And this show will surely deliver on that!
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Photo: Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com
