Balmain: Fresh and bold

The concert hall of La Seine last night was brightly lit to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the direction of Olivier Rousteing, for the Maison Balmain.


all images Β© Daniele Oberrauch / imaxtree.com

No one on September 28, 2011 would have said that that young man of just 25 years would have led a Parisian Maison with a strong Heritage like Balmain. Many dismissed him as a vulgar or cheap designer, with the dubious taste of eternal Peter Pan. This irritated him a lot, but it spurred him even more to win this battle, focusing on work and communication, acquiring more and more power over the years.

Yesterday night there were 6000 real people, not seated, but democratically standing around the stage, as if it was a concert, a true tribute to a young designer who has become a reference for the international star system. BeyoncΓ©, one of his best friends, who immediately appreciated his work, lent her voice to tell the designer’s ten years at the helm of Balmain.

A ready-to-wear collection for women and men with a post-atomic mood, sometimes ascetic, made of drapery, asymmetrical cuts, almost manic interweaving, parachute effects, and a lot of gold encrusting outerwear with the zips that run along the back of super sexy dresses or ripped boxy pants.

This was just the prelude to the other special archive section of this decade, opened by Naomi Campbell and closed by Carla Bruni, before the final bow by Olivier Rousteing together with super models Nadege, Milla Jovovic, Natasha Poly, Mariacarla Boscono, the former première dame Carla Bruni.