Olivier Rousteing, 28 year old creative director at the famed house of Balmain is truly a product of the internet age with over one million Instagram followers. Rousteing even admits that his current collection was inspired by a photo he took with Rihanna that was widely shared on social media. Her see-through top gave him the idea to portray women who are proud of their bodies and unafraid to explore sensuality and transparency.
As a reflection of his vision, his collection at Paris Fashion Week showed lots of billowy chiffon ruffles, bare midriffs and form fitting jumpsuits. The “Balmain Army” as his models are called included some well-known names like Karlie Kloss, Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadad. Balmain’s spring summer offering was replete with lattice work tops, fish net inserts, sheer ruffled bell bottoms and fierce cropped jackets. In this collection, the designer captures the feel of armor by embellishing mesh and crochet netting with jewels. He uses squared off shoulders to give his silhouettes a strong bold look. One surprise that Rousteing mentioned in an interview was his choice of color for the collection. The designer notes that his use of beige and brown in a spring collection is unexpected. The color scheme of the collection is primarily tones of beige, taupe, chocolate brown and caramel. Black and white are also liberally used in the collection. Brights splashes of color are sprinkled throughout in vibrant shades of green, red and blue. In terms of fabrics Balmain is showing lots of pieces in suede and leather usually in earthy tones of brown, another twist for a spring summer collection. A bandolier-style top was shown in several variations, exposing midriff and back. Silhouettes included mini skirts and dresses, jump suits, breezy flowing chiffon especially in ruffles. Kendall Jenner modeled a black outfit with vinyl-lined cut outs. Wide belts, high necked jewelry collars and chunky cuff bracelets provided accents for most of the pieces. Standout pieces included a fitted white dress with strategically placed cut outs to create a center diamond in the bodice. The pencil skirt is made of lattice work fabric providing a peek-a–boo for under garments. A long, figure hugging jersey dress in beige and black features a curvy graphic at the front. A short cropped moto jacket tops flowing ruffled pants and a caramel suede cocoon jacket hugs the figure.
Celebrities attending the show had high praise for the designs. Jada Pinkett Smith and Kris Jenner were in attendance along with a long list of stars and fans of the line. The show left everyone looking with anticipation with another stunning Balmain collection.
