If ever there was a symbiotic relationship between old guard and new, it’s Demna Gvasalia at Balenciaga. When Cristóbal Balenciaga was designer, the label was at the forefront of fashion, pushing silhouettes and proportions with couture finishings. Gvasalia is doing the same, while paying singular homage to the house founder.
A master of proportion and distortion, Gvasalia continued his deconstruction of familiar pieces — which other designers have happily picked up on as well. A bevy of beautiful coats, from men’s style checks and elegant sheared minks to classic camel toppers and black leather looks, were worn akilter and buttoned at the left shoulder.
Tucked midway were separates nodding to car couture — literally. Gvasalia pulled out the floor mats (albeit chic silver and patent black ones) and turned them into wrap skirts, while oversized jackets and puffers had a utilitarian finish that might appeal to a high end pit crew.”
As exaggerated and dramatic as it may have seemed, Gvasalia ordered up real clothes — cosy sweaters with extra room, delicate floral printed dresses, both big and little, and skirts and a load of giant bags
In one of the nicest moments so far on the runways, Gvasalia ended on a series of couture gowns he interpreted from archival 1950s Balenciaga gowns. It should be noted that the current designer’s amped up proportions were not so far off the originals, pointing again to the fact that this seems to be a good designer-house fit. Gvasalia smartly added extra large bags in matching materials to almost each look — if you can’t afford a bespoke gown, at least you can tote around a bit of fantastical fashion, past and present.
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By Nandini D’Souza Wolfe
From: Harper’s BAZAAR US
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