About a third of the way through the Balmain show, Karlie Kloss strutted out in an outfit that made the women in Olivier Rousteing s crowd sit up and take notice. "That s how I d like to look tonight," they were thinking about an off-white crewneck sweater tucked into a pair of low-slung velvet pants embroidered Fabergé egg-style in thousands of pearls and crystals. Couture, but effortless.
Rousteing is in his second runway season for Balmain, and he s on his way to establishing a promising new direction for the house—one that retains the elaborately hand-worked pieces the label is known for but is imbued with a fresher, easier spirit. The first look out, a leather sweatshirt embellished with a needlepoint cameo that was worn over a snap-front top and simple black pants, captured the new vibe, as did a bottle green leather camp shirt worn with matching embossed velvet flares.
The Balmain jacket has been redesigned by Rousteing. It s as boxy and oversize now as it was shrunken then; from the back, it s almost a perfect square. To cut their masculine look, he paired the jackets with fluid velvet pants, either dévoré or stamped in the Fabergé patterns.
That s not to say there isn t room for improvement here. The least thrilling part of the collection was a series of stretchy dresses embroidered all over in pearls and crystals. They were predictable compared to those high-low mixes.
