Alexander Wang leaving Balenciaga

[Petit Lucille]

The designer that follows Balenciaga may not make sense at first if they want to change the brand.

 

[Deleted member 116819]

At Balenciaga will be destined for Sir John Galliano!!!!!! (I think!)
All those meetings with Anna Wintour and other "heavy" fashion people, are signs (at least for me). I think Galliano isn't the most sellable one, like they want, but he's the one that can relate to Cristobal Balenciaga's work the best! And his aesthetics are perfect for Balenciaga old DNA, not the DNA that Nicolas Ghesquiere made throughout his 15 years at the house.

 

[Chanelcouture09]

^Nicolas' DNA was reinventing previous silhouettes from the archives, or at least his later collections for the house have been along those lines, re-energizing old prints, structures, cuts and technics used by the house.

I think Alexander Wang would be the incorrect choice for Balenciaga since Balenciaga is known for being an inventor and a visionary, both Cristobal and Nicolas encapsulated that perfectly, they were not someone who was easily influenced by others which is what Alexander is, I'm not denying his product is great nor wearable but they are not on the same level of greatness as what Balenciaga produce each season.

I think the only reliable replacement would be someone in house, I've grown tired of the same designers playing musical chairs at these historic houses, a breath of fresh air, a new aesthetic, a new face and some new blood is needed in times like this, only a few have dared currently to promote new talent to head designer and it has worked just look at Olivier at Balmain, his collections continue to excel at the same time as being commercially appealing.

 

[Crying Diamonds]

If Galliano is going anywhere (though using him to kick-start an old brand or continue a successful one would be a ridiculously enormous risk) it would be to Schiaparelli I believe, he has elements in his own designs that relate to hers, such as the bias cut, plus he has that sense of showmanship and magnificence about his designs.
I do not see him at Balenciaga, though, if he was given free reign, his vision would likely be extraordinary (I'd love to see him taking on Cristobal's volumes and cuts), I think Galliano's designs will always suit the opulent look of Dior more than the reclusive perfection of Balenciaga.

Someone said Francisco Costa, and I think he would do a very good modern Balenciaga, but I think he has become Calvin Klein Collection and I couldn't imagine him anywhere else.

 

[JuiceMajor]

Just when I thought I can sit still and this comes up! To be honest, as long as he is still designing I'll be fine. Balenciaga is nothing without Nicholas!

 

[iclawhands]

Sounds like it's Christopher Kane. A Magzine's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/amagazinecuratedby) says the following: "The British designer Christopher Kane has been appointed as the new Creative Director of the Parisian house BALENCIAGA, following in the legendary footsteps of Nicolas Ghesquière who announced his resignation from the storied French house earlier in the month."

 

[Mathewthew]

Sounds like it's Christopher Kane. A Magzine's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/amagazinecuratedby) says the following: "The British designer Christopher Kane has been appointed as the new Creative Director of the Parisian house BALENCIAGA, following in the legendary footsteps of Nicolas Ghesquière who announced his resignation from the storied French house earlier in the month."

I just read it !!!!!!!
NOOOOO, no offense. But I don't think he can keep up the standard of Nicolas.

 

[iclawhands]

I just read it !!!!!!!
NOOOOO, no offense. But I don't think he can keep up the standard of Nicolas.

I don't think anyone can.

 

[CrisGalaxy]

Too bad. New direction, new ideas, new house. Time to move on everybody.

 

[ohmycolin]

I am SO excited for this!!!! Christopher's stuff is really up there, and I think his take on Balenciaga will be refreshing, but still edgy and cool. I have a feeling he'll make collections that are quite edgy/young, but still wearable by someone a bit older.

 

[dior_couture1245]

Hmmm....if this is indeed true, which at this point - I doubt if it isn't - I don't feel particularly alarmed at all.

While I previously posted about how for as much as I really love Kane, I didn't know how I felt about his good taste/bad taste humor translating to such a serious house. However, with the news, I actually feel kind of relieved that they've given the position to someone who has proven that they have ideas of their own and have stuck to their guns over the years.

I can see him doing wonderful takes on the archives - making them young, making them naughty and perverse. I think he's smart enough, too, to not take the house in a campy route (a la Versace). He will be respectful, I know that for a fact. I'm also very curious to see what he is able to produce with a larger budget and a highly, highly skilled atelier. I think he will rise to the challenge.

I'm sure Tammy is thrilled, too!

 

[Lena]

huge disappointment

 

[Marc10]

RIP Balenciaga.

 

[ms-nietzsche]

Nicholas hasn't had a great collection at Balenciaga for years. This is, in all probability, a good change.

 

[Pastry]

he is a good designer
with an eye for offbeat elegance.
both houses produce expensive work. imagine if one of the new decisions was to bring back real balenciaga couture
this is exciting. this may work out for everyone.

 

[StoneSkipper]

Interesting move. Like dior_couture said, he has a very offbeat sense of humour, from Frankenstein to 80's nightclubs, from Planet of the Apes to B-horror movies. If he develops that kind of theme construction and humour under the Spanish heritage of Cristóbal Balenciaga, this could be something to watch here. I'll be waiting.

 

[Fatalefashion]

Christopher is amazing (I think - NOT FOR BALENCIAGA).....As always we have to wait!


I'd love to read Nicolas was appointed as the new creative director of the Emanuel Ungaro!

 

[mistress_f]

Christopher's was one of the first names i thought of when the news broke... i really like his work (not so much whatever he does for versus... by the way how about that now?) and it'll definitely be interesting to witness the transition...

 

[StoneSkipper]

^I never thought about that! His star isn't shining so bright at Versus right now, so if he leaves, it'll be for good. (David Koma for Versus would be a dream come true, if you ask me)

 

[TianSoFine]

^Yeah, the connection between the Versace house and Christopher Kane has always seemed a bit forced to me. I think he'd do great at Balenciaga.

Tbh, the place I want Galliano most is John Galliano, though I suppose that's not really possible.