Ava Gardener, Rita Hayworth, Lauren Baccal — just a few names that spring to mind when watching Balmain’s recent Fall/Winter 2023 show. And much like these women, this season’s clothes prove femininity is a force to be reckoned with.
In his twelfth year with the luxury French fashion house, Olivier Rousteing diverges far from his Egyptian-inspired resort collection and seemingly dips back into the label’s archives, building upon the irreverent work of Pierre Balmain to realize a collection that is at once unique and cohesive.
At Paris’ Le Carreau du Temple, models took to the runway in an amalgam of textures: from velvet to leather to satin and sequins, there was plenty to take in. The color palette was mostly black and off-white, with a handful of jewel-toned looks sure to be a red carpet staple.
Some highlights included a pearl tassel jacket, a patent leather dress with an asymmetrical neckline, and a velvet corset with a sheer hood. But beyond the glamour of these show-stoppers, faultless tailoring shone. There were plunging corsets and off-shoulder outerwear paired with cropped trousers and party footwear, billowy satin sleeves with A-line skirts and sky-high platforms, and a crystal two-piece set layered over a sheer button-down — all feeding into Rousteing’s taste for variety.
As was to be expected, Balmain’s signature power shoulders and structured draping had an unmissable presence, giving a biting edge to otherwise delicate shapes. The runway was awash with burgeoning trends, with many looks ushering in the controversial return of peplum and convincing us to swap out our ties for bows.
Much of the intrigue lay in the details. Opera gloves, shopping bags and makeup cases seemed to play on old-school notions of femininity. Only, the mega heights on platforms, supersized diamond earrings, hyper-extended pant legs, and super sharp points on stilettos and lapels were there to quash any feelings the designer was getting soft.
The duality of each look is clear in the seamless juxtaposition that doesn’t quite hit you at first but instead makes an impact worthy of thinking about long after curtains close.
