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It was a fitting testament to the contradictions of New York City that Demna decided to stage his Resort ’23 Balenciaga show on Sunday morning at the New York Stock Exchange. A place of worship in its own right, the NYSE welcomed a different crowd than its usual floor of bustling traders with Kanye West, Chloë Sevigny, Frank Ocean, and Megan Thee Stallion among the A-list showgoers. Attendee invites were a faux stack of $100 bills, the perfect talisman for a collection that explored sex, glamour, and fetish.
The collection played with recurring motifs in the Demna-for-Balenciaga universe, some recent, some longer-established. The ‘gimp mask’–an exploration of the desire to be obscured or anonymous in a world of constant exposure—featured in all 63 looks. Some were embellished in elegant black sequins, other a fetishistic latex kitted out with wrap-around sunglasses or clear, rimless spectacles. Demna first began experimenting with full face coverings when he sent Kim Kardashian down the Met Gala steps in a full-body black satin gown, making a bold statement about the power of celebrity in the process.
The fashion was a heady mix of old-world glamour and modern casual. Oversized pussybow blouses burst out of elongated trench coats or tucked into perfectly tailored leather midi skirts. Skin-hugging velvet dresses were worn over latex tights with cartoonishly puffy bejewelled pumps. Suiting was oversized and finished in heavy fabrics like wool, weighed down with ‘XXL’ rubber boots. Demna has recently re-launched Balenciaga’s couture offering, the exquisite attention to detail he showcased in those collections was front and centre for Resort.
For daywear, a new collaboration with Adidas was unveiled, featuring the brands signature satin tracksuits, recut in oversized silhouettes and worn with Balenciaga-branded leather sports bags. Silky pyjama sets featured elsewhere, as well as a new Balenciaga It-bag to lust over. The aptly named ‘Money bag’ is a sensible top-handle tote that unexpectedly opens from below. expect your IG feed to be awash in coming months. Demna does it again
