Demna Gvasalia presented his Fall 2017 menswear collection for Balenciaga today at Paris Fashion Week. Inspired by "the subject of corporate dressing," Gvasalia sent out twisted takes on office attire that drew from codes new and old. While you wait for Sarah Mower s full review of the collection, get briefed on the notable looks from the show here.
- In the show notes, the brand explained that the recent move of Balenciaga s ateliers and the headquarters of Kering, Balenciaga s parent company, into the same building helped inspire this new spin on officewear. After watching men come and go at both offices, the design team aimed to create "a reading of contemporary reality, spanning the formal and casual, aimed at the breadth of an intergenerational audience."
- The results of that quest might surprise you, namely the super-skinny, super-low-rise trousers paired with sloped-shoulder blazers. The pairing was often shown without a shirt on the runway—check your employer s dress code before trying this one.
- More traditional suits walked the runway, too, here in grays, browns, and blacks, with unpadded, sloping shoulders and slim trousers.
- Gvasalia put a twist on his typical branding efforts by using both the Balenciaga logo and the Kering logo on garments. Call it corporate merch.
- The collection also experimented with adventurous layering, showing T-shirts over flannels over sweatshirts.
- Several men s bag styles walked the runway today, including the brand s striped shopper tote and new mock shopping bags in white and black leather. Where the shopper tote was carried stuffed to the brim, the shopping bags appeared essentially empty.
- Balenciaga introduced a new men s sneaker in the collection, the Triple-S. With three stacked soles, the shoe came in a variety of colors that complemented each look.
8. Considering the corporate and commercial overtones of the collection, you d be surprised to learn that Senator Bernie Sanders served as a partial inspiration. Sanders s presidential campaign logo—the word Bernie underscored by curved red and white lines—was evoked in the new Balenciaga logos embroidered on jackets, made into pins, and printed on the shawl scarf worn with the last look. The only noticeable difference between the two is that Balenciaga s design has three stripes and Sanders s had just two. Still, the similarity is uncanny.
