Sometimes, fashion disarms. It’s part of the wonder, one reason why those of us who love it so much love it so much. Such moments almost never occur when you run backstage for the editorial soundbite, typically about inspiration — this or that museum exhibit; summers with boho grandma; increasing likely these days, political manifesto. Not so at Balmain on Thursday when, before his Balmain show, Olivier Rousteing disarmed with emotional conversation about his childhood, his fame, his place in fashion, the shallow perceptions of him that he wants to shatter. His spring show, he offered, would be a turning point, “a big celebration, a new era.”
Its cornerstone: Rousteing is serious about being a designer. Yes, he’s a beautiful young Instagram idol. He’s also, he wants us to know, a tireless craftsman. “In 365 days, I maybe work 360,” he said. OK, he takes time in August, but otherwise, he’s at the office where he thinks, worries, obsesses over his craft. At the same time, he knows he’s blessed — by adoptive parents who have loved and encouraged him from the get-go, and because he found a platform for creative expression, which he’s known he needed since he was 10. To that point, guests to Rousteing’s show found a letter he penned to his younger self on their seats. It discussed the significance of showing at the Opera Garnier, 20 years after he first experienced its grandeur at a ballet with his family. “Your return route to the opera house won’t always be easy,” he wrote. “There will be stumbles, mistakes and regrets,” but ultimately, “I will remember your wonderment and dreams of two decades past” and “will continue that dreaming.”
You May Also Like
Woah! A lot to process from show notes and a drop-by backstage. Was he playing his audience? His reviewers? Very possibly; this is a media-savvy young man. Yet, Rousteing projected genuineness. But even were it all calculated, that, too, is one of the glories of fashion: We want to be taken in, romanced; we want our perspectives altered.
With his collection, Rousteing did his best to rattle our assumptions. Though endless studs, crystals, sequins and fringe seldom telegraph a serious focus on daywear, in Rousteing’s reality, they did, in a lineup weighted toward glammed-up takes on sportswear pieces rather than dresses. Sometimes that meant a shiny (sequined or Latex) variant on Farmer John overalls and sometimes, a sexy cheerleader outfit. But there were also jackets, sweaters and pants in which one could see commercial viability beyond the dazzle. And, though the show featured power shots of bright red and blue, he relied mostly on workable (dare one say sensible?) black and white. All of this is relative, of course; Rousteing didn’t swear off of the high-heat, high-voltage pop star-and-Instagram bait on which he shot to fame; he just toned it down and diversified. It felt like smart forward motion. “I think there is a maturity in my collection,” Rousteing said. “I really feel happy to introduce you to my new world.”