Olivier Rousteing Says Fashion is Not Evolution But Revolution
Disrupting Pierre Balmain’s “fashion is not revolution but evolution”, Oliver Rousting redeclares that “fashion is not evolution but revolution”, unleashing a cutting edge army of models all decked in one of his most over the top, badass collections to date. Leave it to Balmain to bring “sexy” to the battlefield.
Taking cues from this season’s utilitarian trends, Balmain’s signature glamour is infused with a militaristic edge with sharp hardware, buckles, and parachute cord influences. “I think we are all living a revolution, and trying to survive that revolution.”, Rousteing explains of an era characterized by rapid shifts in technology, alongside groundbreaking social, and political events. “Tough” is one way to characterize the Balmain runway this season, as each model embodied a “don’t mess with this” attitude to compliment their fit. Clever cutouts and see-through chainmail elevated the men’s looks as well as the women’s capsule, allowing for sexy hits of skin for the rebel army with an ultra suave vibe. Texture play ran rampant, especially important for monochromatic looks — namely to break up the always chic black on black. Sequins played against tweed, neoprene, slinky jerseys, and the most luxurious fur, steering the show clear of redundancy and catapulting silhouettes into maximalist heaven.
Olive green shades met rich taupes, gold, and bronze tones in reference to the largely military influences, yet the collection graduated to sleek, shiny blacks with flashy pops for rock star worthy “going out” ensembles. Latter looks in the show exuded Balmain’s trademark youthful flair with sequins and bold graphics, leather and latex, and of course, more skin. Sharp shoulders continued to dominate the show and lend a fierce edge to a collection already radiating confidence. For Rousteing’s fashion powerhouse, there is no such thing as “too much”, and this season, the Balmain army geared up for a full throttle finale to Paris Fashion Week.