PART 7; BALENCIAGA

There have been a series of high-profile shake-ups in the fashion industry recently. It began with John Galliano's infamous anti-semitic rant which saw him replaced as creative director of Dior, and ended with Nicholas Ghesquière's decision to abandon his role at the helm of Balenciaga. In both cases it wasn't the departures that were startling, it was their chosen replacements that really grabbed headlines. The don of minimalism, Raf Simons, was chosen to take over Dior - a huge surprise considering that his streamlined approach to fashion design could not have been further from Galliano's dramatic, extravagant collections. After that, Balenciaga announced their decision to appoint Alexander Wang as their new creative director; a shocking decision, considering Wang's relative lack of experience. However, these two changes propelled the world of high-fashion into the realms of a chic new minimalism - by incorporating textural qualities and scarce prints, the two men are redefining the way that we look at clothes. 

BALENCIAGA RESORT 2014

Many (myself included) were extremely dubious when it was announced earlier this year that Alexander Wang had been chosen as Balenciaga's new creative director. Wang's predecessor, Nicholas Ghesquière, had previously turned the brand into a true fashion powerhouse, gaining respect for his futuristic aesthetic and experimental silhouettes, making the task of replacing such an influential director would be tricky. Not to mention that Wang's own eponymous collection is based heavily on luxe sportswear - often choosing to work mainly with leather and jersey, it was widely questioned as to whether or not Wang was versatile enough to take the helm of such a renowned fashion house. After impressing the fashion crowd with his Fall 2013 collection, this Resort 2014 collection has only proven further that he is entirely capable of the task at hand. 

Balenciaga Fall 2013

Once again, despite the brilliance of the collection it was evident that Wang was tentative about dividing opinion, choosing to stay away from colour entirely and focus on a colour palette comprising of black, white and several muted shades of grey. The lack of colour gave an elegant simplicity to the collection, allowing the focus to be the unusual, sculptural silhouettes. There were several examples of Wang choosing to play with proportions - for example, bandeau crop tops were teamed with cropped bolero jackets and lean black trousers, Wang's playful take on the tuxedo for summer. 

PARIS FASHION WEEK HIGHLIGHTS; PART 1

After three weeks of chic, experimental collections, Paris Fashion Week is a showcase of the créme de la créme of the fashion world. One look at the schedule is always enough to get hearts racing - with Balenciaga, Chanel, Alexander McQueen and Lanvin amongst the shows of the week, it came as no real surprise to me that I will have to split the Paris highlights into two posts. Highlights of the week included Alexander Wang's much-discussed debut for Balenciaga, Sarah Burton's extravagant capsule collection for Alexander McQueen, Gareth Pugh's beautiful faceless models as well as Ann Demeulemeester's sinister take on an ethereal collection. To say the audience were spoiled is a true understatement, so without further ado..

BALMAIN
Renowned for creating statement bejewelled pieces, Olivier Rousteing's latest collection for Balmain displayed an "if it's not broke, don't fix it" attitude. Proportions were as hyperbolic as usual, embellishment was everywhere and the aesthetic was overwhelmingly futuristic. However, Rousteing did explore new fabrics as well as new influences - a series of high-waisted metallic brocade trousers were particularly effective when teamed with soft white jumpers, whereas jackets borrowed heavily from the dramatic silhouette of the traditional kimono, especially when teamed with what looked like metallic versions of an obi belt. Although the collection was cohesive in its vision of high-end glamour, there were two looks that were refreshing in their simplicity - red and gold silk was paired with plain black jumpers and thigh-high suede boots, showing that simplicity can often be just as striking as high-end futurism.

KENZO
Bringing a touch of Japanese design to Paris, Carol Lim and Humberto Leon displayed yet another fantastic collection for newly-revamped label Kenzo. Emphasis was on texture - from basket-woven trousers to red snakeskin jackets, the collection provided a colourful respite to the monochrome displayed elsewhere. Most importantly, the collection was vibrant and fun - sparkly, irridescent coats were shown as was a shaggy powder blue fur coat, proving that the duo never take themselves too seriously. There were some true highlights to the collection - the eye print, for example, could soon become a cult item, and a few matching printed suits were shown in loose silhouettes, making them work excellently both as separates or on their own.

GARETH PUGH
Staying firmly away from the vibrant colour palettes of most other collections, Gareth Pugh showed a signature collection that retained his familiar minimalist aesthetic. Interchanging between ethereality and gothicism, the collection presented a beautiful take on fashion's favourite contrast - light against dark. Stiff collars were paired with dramatic floor-length hemlines, whereas the outline of ominous branches added a sinister look to plain white fabric. If Tim Burton were to be represented in a collection, this would be it - white make-up gave models' faces a ghostly pallour that perfectly complimented the Victorian horror theme of the garments, whereas a series of oversized black leather coats towards the end of the collection were distinctly menacing yet effortlessly cool. Although the show could have easily veered into the realm of parody, the fact that the clothes themselves were some of Pugh's strongest work made sure that the focus was on the collection and not the concept.

Fall 2012 Highlights; Balenciaga RTW

In the world of fashion it is becoming more difficult than ever to be truly innovative, even moreso to be innovative without sacrificing wearability. The Fall 2012 RTW collections were each different in their own way but a select few designers completely succeeded in updating their aesthetic whilst remaining unique, so the next few blog posts will be solely dedicated to my personal favourite collections. The first highlight of the season came in the form of an über-futuristic show by Balenciaga's Nicolas Ghesquière. Once again, the designer has proven that he is able to push the boundaries of modern fashion, creating looks which were provocative without being ridiculous.

The overall feel of the collection is similar to that of Ghesquière's previous collection, using a lot of the same materials and silhouettes that left fashion editors desperate for more last season. The Spring collection saw the debut of super-short hotpants, oversized foam jackets and exaggerated silhouettes, and it is evident that the Balenciaga's Fall offering is intended to be a continuation of the futuristic aesthetic and an exploration in hi-tech fabrics.

The infamous micro-shorts - Balenciaga Spring 2012 RTW

The new sculpted jacket; Balenciaga Fall 2012 RTW

The first few looks showcased a wintry take on the shorts and jacket combo from the Spring collection, seeing semi-sheer knee-length dresses teamed with cocoon coats in a variation of colours. Despite the bold hues and super-shiny hemlines of the dresses, they were surprisingly wearable when teamed with the wide lapel and flattering fit of the coat, displaying a versatility that carried throughout the collection. Ghesquière also experimented with print, utilising a technicolour zebra-print as a subtle nod towards the animal-print trend in a series of looks which showed that the designer can even do zebra without sacrificing taste.

Cocoon coats were a wardrobe staple; Balenciaga Fall 2012 RTW

A new take on animal print; Balenciaga Fall 2012 RTW

Read/see more after the jump!

Menswear Highlight #4; Balenciaga

As opposed to other, more outlandish designers, Nicholas Ghesquière chose a more subtle approach for Balenciaga's S/S 2013 collection. The primary aim of the designer appears to be removing all connotations that workwear has to be dull; the elegant separates were well-tailored yet still different enough to look young and fresh thanks to subtle details. Trousers were shown with a slightly dropped seat to create a laid-back look that came to life when teamed with an oversized trenchcoat and sharp loafers.

Balenciaga S/S 2013

Balenciaga S/S 2013

Ghesquière also proved himself to be one of the main influences behind the unlikely floral trend for S/S '13 - one of the standout pieces of the collection was a beautiful floral shirt, worn with simple separates to emphasise its appeal. The print avoids being too feminine by being oversized in comparison to some other designs, showing that florals for spring really can work.

The new floral; Balenciaga S/S 2013

Balenciaga S/S 2013

Read/see more after the jump!