Demna Swaps Exaggerated for Erotica

Balenciaga began with what appeared to be the most unabashedly sexy collection that they had ever shown. It was a detour from the oversized streetwear and even more oversized couture that creative director Demna has produced for the house. The first seven looks featured garter belts, suspenders, brassieres, 30 denier hosier, a peignoir that was actually a lace-collared onesie, and black stilettos. Most of these were sewn as one-piece bodysuits that could be slipped on in a single take and employed trompe l’oeil, something that fashion adherents may recall was included in Maison Margiela’s Spring/Summer 2007 with its nude bodysuits printed with a black brassiere.
Lingerie has been seen at a few key shows amongst the European tranche this season. At Hermes, training bras were crafted in leather (super luxe), and Dolce and Gabbana dedicated 80 looks to Madonna, and more specifically her ‘Blonde Ambition’ tour, where she triumphed in making underwear into outerwear. Balenciaga’s take on lingerie, however, was darker and more erotic. Pop culture leaping off points that sprung to mind were photographs from Guy Bourdin (particularly his images for Charles Jourdan), Helmut Newton, and Chris von Wangenheim.
Following the lingerie, there was a transition into body-con dresses, one of which Nicole Kidman wore, as well as some quite covered-up high-neck dresses with an awkward length in that 1970s-ilk that Demna mined so thoroughly at Vetements, the Swiss brand he founded with his brother in 2014. Were it not for stacked shoulder pads and matching hosiery, the dresses would have verged on austere.
A crook and turn and we were rapidly at the street section, with stonewashed grey and blue denim on full display. There were coordinated jacket and jean sets, and then jeans as separates, some of which had leg cutaways to create the effect of suspenders. The denim bottoms were matched back with cropped MA-1 bombers, track jackets, hoodies, windbreakers and puffer parkas; there was also a leather biker suit. These outerwear pieces were adapted from the cocoon shape created by Balenciaga in 1957. Jackets and hoodies had a dropped shoulder and set in sleeve. Aside from the addition of ironic throwaway slogans on a few items (phrases such as ‘fashion designer’ or ‘human being'), these pieces were a convincing melding of traditional technique and its application on the street.
An interlude of cropped and very wee polo shirts perfect for This is England cosplay, with a fuller baggy jean and very large rubber sneakers, gave way to closing looks of more outerwear and evening dresses. There were layered flannels and a trench coat that was in fact two trenches melded together. Three tuxedo jackets were comprised into one with the effect of shrugging a jacket on one shoulder. Leather returned by way of a big parka with exaggerated collar, and biker jacket formed into a dress. There was a lot going on here, including eyewear that was like the accessories from Tron or Robocop. Lingerie and erotica were reintroduced at the close, as was the extreme exaggerated shoulder to reinforce the brand’s maxim.
Although the collection debuted with pieces that were different from what had been shown in previous seasons (the most extreme example comes from Balenciaga's 2024 Fall Couture, where the models were buried under layers of enormous clothing), there were other elements of the collection that felt dated and overused. While it seems that Demna would rather play it safe with oversized elements, the perverse, sexual ideas should be preserved. A small piece of advice: keep it sharp, angular, and feminine—Cristóbal style.
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