Demna Gvasalia presented his Spring 2017 collection for Balenciaga at Paris Fashion Week today. His sophomore effort honored the work of Cristóbal Balenciaga, but through the lens of Gvasalia s own obsessions. This season that meant a fusion of couture shapes with modern (and kinky) materials ranging from spandex to latex, topped off with Moroccan pouf bags and archival crystal brooches. While you wait for Sarah Mower s review of Gvasalia s latest, catch up on everything that happened at the Balenciaga Spring 2017 show here.
1. The show was held in the Paris Event Space, where a narrow square runway ran around the perimeter of a white curtained room. If this sounds clinical, the shocking pink hallway that welcomed guests to the space was anything but.
2. Kim Kardashian West was the sole celebrity at the show, wearing an off-the-shoulder Balenciaga trench and black and white grid-print Balenciaga boots.
3. Show notes spoke of the relationship between couture and fetishism, which Gvasalia explored through the use of spandex, latex, and rubberized leather. It s up to you to decide whether the neon spandex pant-boots or the latex rain poncho with hood is kinkier.
4. The runway included a number of other strange innovations, like broad-shouldered blazers with skirts partially attached to mimic a skirt suit. There were also pencil skirts that transform into a pinafore and halter dresses that double as tops.
5. Gvasalia loves a thigh-high boot. This season, they came with a dramatic square toe in leather and in neon Spandex as boots and even pants.
6. Last season s striped shopper tote gave way to two new distinct bag styles. The show opened with models carrying bags in a wide circular shape designed to evoke Moroccan poufs. Then came square bags modeled on a blanket packed in plastic wrap.
7. Midway through the show came a series of dresses and skirts in bold, 70s graphics and secondary neon colors. Consider them the new scarf dresses of the season.
- The brooches seen pinned to models s chests and hips are archival Balenciaga pieces used by Monsieur Balenciaga himself taken from storage specially for the show.
- If the unfussy hair and barefaced makeup gave the models a natural aura, the nails did the exact opposite. Two-inch press-on nails painted in acidy Deborah Lippmann colors were affixed to models s hands, giving the whole show a vaguely 80s spirit.
Instagram content
10. Adding to the 80s vibes was the soundtrack that consisted primarily of saxophone smooth jazz standards. A Chris Isaak tune opened the show, succeeded by an instrumental version of Dolly Parton s "I Will Always Love You" that was followed up with the intro from George Michael s "Careless Whisper."
11. Many of Gvasalia s cast of friends and muses walked in the show today, including Clara Deshayes, Lotta Volkova, Maud Escudie, Eliza Douglas, and Jane Moseley. Also on the catwalk were veteran models like Julia Nobis, Kinga Rajzak, Jamie Bochert, Alek Wek, and a newly brunette Aymeline Valade.
Balenciaga | Spring 2017 Ready-to-Wear: