Balenciaga
Spring/Summer 2012
“Sorry, sorry,” that is all Nicolas Ghesquière’s lips apparently said during his - off-course – standing ovation after the Balenciaga show ended. Why? The audience had to presence the breath-taking collection standing up, after five benches collapsed and a voice asked the audience in two languages to watch the entire show on their feet before anyone could get hurt, and thank God no one did. After something like that happens you may think: “that is all people are going to be talking about”, but when the first model came out, no one remembered anything about any crash but were mesmerized by the fantastic collection that was about to begin, nothing could shadow something that incredibly beautiful and innovative.
In a conversation on Wednesday, the designer told WWD… “I don’t know if oversize is the right term for that type of construction. But this famous, and for me, a very functional, concept of Cristobal is the idea of the space between the body and the fabric. The clothes float away from the body. It’s one of the big iconic things of Balenciaga. The fluidity of floating is beautiful, but it is something else. An architectural piece floating around the body is very structural. I think it’s something that Balenciaga invented.”
The new take on Balenciaga’s silhouette was simply delightful, with such an incredible richness of volume and shapes in structured and loose pieces that was magical. Structured jackets, high waisted shorts, oversized scrub-inspired dresses, A-shaped skirts and dreamy patchwork dresses the options were as rich as magnificent. The cinched waist with wide-legged shorts and big-shouldered structured tops gave the models a clever sand-clock silhouette that was so sexy, it felt like Betty Grable was walking down the runway, but the Ghesquière’s version of the Hollywood starlet.
This is pure and real fashion, or even better: the future of it. It was incredibly avant-guard, transforming basic pieces into something so cleverly modern that goes beyond the boundaries of the imagination and what we though of fashion until today. Structured architectonical shapes, with bold shiny prints that beyond the obvious kitschiness that was underneath them turned out to be so incredibly luxurious and glamourous with giant patchy-pockets. The finale came with giant hats, ultra shine skirts and maxi dresses that were devilishly delightful, the wicked witched turned into the most glamourous avant-guard version of the heroine. The playfulness of the opposites was magical, with mate and shine, structured architectonical and flowing shapes, the cinched/tight and loose silhouettes, the neutrals and the bolds, the pails and the jewels tones. And those pants, that new version of the denim… WOW! I do not know how he does it but it was mind-blowing, so many things in a single jaw-dropping collection that was perfectly executed. Just bravo, BRAVO!
Link to Jojo Aponte Fashion Blog
