{"id":28069,"date":"2022-10-06T07:07:37","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T03:07:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/?post_type=articles&p=221679"},"modified":"2022-10-06T07:07:37","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T03:07:37","slug":"balenciaga-spring-summer-2023","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/balenciaga-spring-summer-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"At Balenciaga, The Apocalypse Means Mud, Leather, And Kanye West"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Balenciaga
Image: Courtesy of Balenciaga<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you were looking to Fashion Month for a heady dose of fantasy and escapism, to momentarily rid yourself of the world\u2019s troubles, you might have found yourself confronted by Balenciaga<\/a>\u2019s Spring Summer 2023<\/a> show. Staged in what can only be described as a \u201cgiant mud pit\u201d, Demna showed a post-apocalyptic fashion army, lead by Kanye West in combat-style regalia and chunky leather boots. Of course, it pays to expect the unexpected when it comes to Demna-for-Balenciaga. The designer is a masterful chameleon, which is why he can showcase something as delicate and beautiful as his Fall\/Winter 2022 Haute Couture outing in July, and something as gritty, raw, and confronting as S\/S \u201823 a couple of months later.<\/span><\/p>\n

Demna called this collection a \u201ccompanion piece\u201d to his much-lauded F\/W \u201822 collection from February, which took place in a cascading space in which models powered through snow and wind. He used that show to make a powerful statement about the war in Ukraine, a cause close to the designer\u2019s heart\u2014he and his family fled war-ravaged Georgia when he was only 10 years old. Now, the snow from that storm has thawed and what\u2019s left is more pain and suffering, but now the terrain is muddy and treacherous, not icy and treacherous. The message was poignant and timely\u2014while the rest of the world may have moved on from the war, those fighting on the ground can\u2019t and won\u2019t.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The fashion itself was suitably utilitarian. Demna\u2019s signature oversized hoodies were styled with combat boots, or eerie handbags in the shape of tattered old teddy bears. Leather moto jackets were worn with matching leather trousers in XXL proportions, worn with equally chunky lace-up trainers. Models wore stick-on eyebrow and lip rings, or super-distressed low-slung denim, or, improbably for the apocalypse, sexy corset tops. There were fabulously unexpected elements thrown in there too\u2014like sequin embellished gold ballet flats or inexplicable twisted furry\u2026 scarves? The collection ended with a collection of beautifully crafted evening gowns, some draped artfully across the body, others delicately embroidered with sequins. It was a reminder that even in our darkest moments, we search for beauty and\u2014more often than not\u2014are able to find it. As it turns out, Demna may be something of an optimist after all\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Balenciaga
Image: Courtesy of Balenciaga<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Balenciaga
Image: Courtesy of Balenciaga<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Balenciaga
Image: Courtesy of Balenciaga<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Balenciaga
Image: Courtesy of Balenciaga<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"author":26240,"featured_media":28143,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[65,35],"yoast_head":"\nAt Balenciaga, The Apocalypse Means Mud, Leather, And Kanye West<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"At Balenciaga, creative director Demna showcased a post-apocalyptic collection that featured a stadium full of mud, a runway cameo from Kanye West, and a whole lot of leather.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/balenciaga-spring-summer-2023\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"At Balenciaga, The Apocalypse Means Mud, Leather, And Kanye West\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At Balenciaga, creative director 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