A perfectly manicured boulevard in Los Angeles served as the runway for the Balenciaga's pre-Fall 2024 collection.

On a sunny December afternoon, below an unobstructed view of the Hollywood sign, Demna Gvasalia presented a collection that was an ode to The City of Angels. Guests were greeted with bottled black juices that served as part of an official collaboration with upscale supermarket Erewhon—nothing seems more LA than being on a perpetual detox. 

The show commenced with sleek all-black athleisure looks. Skin-tight leggings, long-sleeve compression tops and zip-up hoodies were styled with oversized 10XL sneakers. Models carried Balenciaga branded lamb-skin coffee cups and Erewhon grocery bags, chatting on their mobile phones as they stormed. Imagine, if you will, the models saying: “I just finished my spin class. I’ve only got an hour free before Pilates!”

Next came a stream of Juicy Couture-inspired velour tracksuits, each paired with Ugg-style boots. A giant City bag was slung over one of the model's shoulder, a clear indication that the Y2K trend is here to stay. This part of the collection was a nostalgic nod to the early 2000s when It-girls would run to the gas at 4 a.m. with a trucker cap pulled low over their eyes to shelter their face from paparazzi.

The rest of the looks were scarcely updated derivatives of Demna’s design oeuvre, including the knife boot and draped mini dresses. All beautiful, all marketable. Toward the end of the lineup, Demna nodded to Christobal Balenciaga's quintessential elegance with exaggerated suiting and a divinely structured finale look: a white wedding gown with a sculptural high neck, concealing half of the model’s face.

The show was accented by celebrity attendees—Kim Kardashian, Nicole Kidman, Kendall Jenner—and a runway cameo by rapper Cardi B. This celebrity reintegration seems to signal a return to grace and forgiveness from the upper echelon. However, the spectacle feels too premature for a brand still recovering from post-scandal profit losses. It was less than a year ago that Demna vowed to “go back to the roots of Balenciaga, which is making quality clothes—not making image or buzz”. 

Demna’s latest collection really does capture the essence of LA: hot, fun and skin deep.