The Eiffel Tower has competition: Olivier Rousteing’s fall collection for Balmain featured enough crystals to keep Swarovski in business for the foreseeable future.
“Paris is the City of Light and I want to bring back those lights,” said the designer, echoing his words in the immediate aftermath of the city’s tragic November terrorist attacks. “I want my Balmain boy to feel like the new prince of Paris.”
He did it in a blaze of over-the-top embellishment, with men’s jackets encrusted with crystals, frogging and embroidery so dense they rivaled the ornate gowns from the women’s pre-fall collection that were sprinkled into the display.
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Dudley O’Shaughnessy sparkled like a glitterball in his Liberace-worthy crystal bomber jacket with contrasting arabesques, while Jon Kortajarena rocked a gold braid bomber jacket.
Sprinkled among the Prince Charming outfits — think tailcoats with gold buttons, cummerbunds and oversize crests — were the kind of casual clothes that have made Balmain popular with everyone from Kanye West to Justin Bieber: Drop-crotched pants in jersey or suede; kimono-inspired jackets, and loafers with zip-off quilted leather gaiters.
If a lot of it felt familiar, it’s because Rousteing reprised many of the codes of his collaboration with high-street retailer H&M, which unleashed worldwide Bal-mania last November. That has only strengthened his defiance in the face of critics, but the designer must be careful not to descend into self-parody.