HOW to redefine power dressing while giving a woman a uniform to climb her career in – and one that can bring a man to his knees? This is Olivier Rousteing’s brief at Balmain, because this is what his army of rich, glamorous customers demands from their wardrobes.
The majority of looks were caged in graphic black leather lattice work, the dresses were long, lean, zip-backed and to the shin. There was a heady waft of Tom Ford’s Gucci in the supremely flattering wide-leg trousers and that high octane sexuality. There was a nod to Givenchy in the white trouser suit, the jacket cut away and knotted at the stomach, while the Mondrian colour palette recalled Yves Saint Laurent.
Yes it referenced collections that have gone before and of course there was a vintage energy here (it wouldn’t be Balmain without one), but on the runway these clothes became entirely modern: Eighties or Nineties or now – the sight of Jourdan Dunn slinking past in a pair of dazzling yellow and black flares is always going to be fabulous. And proof that while trends come and go, the desire to feel fierce will never go out of fashion.
source: Vogue
