BALMAIN – HAUTE COUTURE SHOW AFTER 16 YEARS!

Balmain came into existence in 1945 and was known for its sophisticated and elegant looks. Its founder, Pierre Balmain referred to dressmaking as the architecture of movement.  Though couture was the essence of Balmain, the last held Haute Couture show was helmed by its then Creative Director, Oscar de la Renta in 2002.

After a hiatus of 16 years, Balmain was back with its Haute Couture 2019 show which was held in the brand’s soon-to-open flagship boutique on Rue Saint-Honoré, Paris, under its talented Creative Director, Olivier Rousteing. He was allowed to present Balmain’s couture collection at the Haute Couture Spring 2019, as a guest by The Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Rousteing is known to use social media extensively, as this helps to reach out to a wider audience and thus broadcasted the show on Balmain’s new app.

It is imperative to give a brief glimpse of Balmain’s current Creative Director, Olivier Rousteing, as without him the house could not have achieved this feat after a long hiatus of showcasing at the Haute Couture Spring 2019.

Olivier was appointed as the Creative Director of Balmain in 2011 at the age of 25. His appointment as the Creative Director was not taken lightly by the people in the fashion circle, as he was a minority, not a well-known designer and was young. However, he proved his detractors wrong and what he has done for the fashion house was to get a fresh perspective to the brand which has helped Balmain to connect with a younger target market. According to Olivier, “Balmain woman” epitomizes power, which reflects in its garments with strong shoulders and jagged lines which is the signature silhouette of Rousteing.

The inspiration for the collection was Paris, as Rousteing wanted to infuse the elegance of France and also paid homage to its founder Pierre Balmain.

His ready to wear has always had an incredible level of detail, but with his couture, he has gone extreme. The Balmain collection for Haute Couture 2019 collection was with models wearing black and white body paint, the new Balmain logo was visible on the orb-like bangles and clutch along with the heels of the model’s shoes, binocular glasses which were inspired by the glasses used while watching an opera. The collection also had exaggerated sleeves, sculptural designs, overstated pleats, pearls, glass beads, fishnet details, feathers and broad belts. Fabrics used in the collection were chiffon and silk. The metallic headpieces worn by the models were made in collaboration with the House of Malakai.

According to Rousteing, the essence of Balmain is Uncontrollable, as one does not know what is going to happen in the future.

Some of the pieces from the house of Balmain:

(Image Source: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-couture/balmain/slideshow/collection#1)

(Image Source: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-couture/balmain/slideshow/collection#4)

(Image Source: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-couture/balmain/slideshow/collection#5)

(Image Source: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-couture/balmain/slideshow/collection#7)

(Image Source: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-couture/balmain/slideshow/collection#8)

(Image Source: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-couture/balmain/slideshow/collection#9)

(Image Source: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-couture/balmain/slideshow/collection#11)

(Image Source: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-couture/balmain/slideshow/collection#12)

(Image Source: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-couture/balmain/slideshow/collection#15)

(Image Source: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-couture/balmain/slideshow/collection#16)

(Image Source: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-couture/balmain/slideshow/collection#19)

(Image Source: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-couture/balmain/slideshow/collection#22)

(Image Source: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-couture/balmain/slideshow/collection#24)

(Image Source: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-couture/balmain/slideshow/collection#26)

(Image Source: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-couture/balmain/slideshow/collection#28)

(Image Source: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-couture/balmain/slideshow/collection#30)

(Image Source: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-couture/balmain/slideshow/collection#32)

(Image Source: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-couture/balmain/slideshow/collection#34)

(Image Source: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-couture/balmain/slideshow/collection#35)

Submitted by: Manisha Fernandes
Diploma in Fashion Business Management
Batch May 2018