Balenciaga F/W 07.08 Paris

[mackos]

just found the info

Open-toe sandal, Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière, $4,175

info: frill.com, pic: elle.com

sorry, anybody would pay so much money for these shoes!?

 

[tricotineacetat]

Keeping those prices in mind, I wonder what believable, sellable merchandise is there left in the shops, once the collection is delivered? some of the concepts on the runway, once washed-down to a commercial, accessible level, look rather uninspired.

People will probably end up buying the blazers and jackets, defintely some of the knits, if it comes to concrete items from the runway collection.

 

[mimiko]

Balenciaga was much more affordable few years ago .$25,595 for a dress

 

[sarah13]

As fall is approaching I am falling in love with the jopper and blazer look. This collection had grown on me now that fall is approaching.

photo: style.com

 

[Rami]

i love the scarves and the silouhette of the blazer, pants and the scarf as well. nicholas is incredible. i wasnt a big fan of his spring collection, but im in love with fall '07.

 

[iLoveCouture]

Those blazers are fantastic!

 

[educo]

I'm going to make my own version of that jacket since 11K is A LITTLE out of my budget this season....

 

[tricotineacetat]

I am sorry but the tailoring really isn't superb here. Having seen some of this in person, I found that both the fabrics and the finishing were quite underwhelming.

It does look nice in editorials and from the runway, with the coordinated piping on the jacket lapels and the fringing of the palestine skarves, but once taken out of it's context... it's all gonna look pretty dated, once the season is over.

 

[Guessgirl96]

tricot, have you seen the tweed jackets? I'm hoping those are better since I have a down payment on one! Do you think those will date as easily?

 

[*Jibrielle*]

I really love that navy blazer

 

[xPedro]

If I had money I would, certainly, give that shoes as a gift for my girlfriend

 

[tricotineacetat]

tricot, have you seen the tweed jackets? I'm hoping those are better since I have a down payment on one! Do you think those will date as easily?

Well I personally believe that a lot of what Nicolas Guesquière has produced lately is VERY trend-oriented and that I find that he changes direction too many times, jumping from one theme to another from season to season, rather than building a cohesive, lasting wardrobe.

I saw some of the velvet cutaway jackets and double breasted jackets with piping or embroidery details during a brief trip to Berlin, and I thought that the edges were not cut nicely, so the seams would end up looking bulky and unevenly flat...on one of the jackets they had on display, the pocket on the hips was already starting to fray where it was inserted... and these goods were surely not hanging for a long time, that's for sure!

I didn't see any of the tweed jackets hanging, however, but believe that they will be a better investment than the blazers (I find them to be more classically-sculptural than too heavily derived from a specific 'theme' as the other jackets are, with all those little embroideries) ... which I think, Balenciaga's factory cannot produce at a decent quality level to justify the high price. I would much rather buy a tailored jacket from a designer that is doing it in a classically men's constructed manner then to have it from a womenswear designer where such a piece doesn't look properly 'authentic'... Taralis or Dior Homme's petite taille had such jackets for women in authentic British woollen cloths or as tuxedos that I find more timeless and versatile to wear and carry over from one season to another.

 

[Guessgirl96]

Thanks for the feedback! I cant believe the pockets were already fraying and the seems sound awful. After letting the collection set in a little I agree with you that the jackets may date easily and I'm glad I didnt go with the blazers. I'm praying that the tweed jackets done have these quality issues!

 

[just_me]

Its so nice to hear a great perspective on a collection thanks for your posts tricotineacetat!

 

[Caffeine]

Please, not Dior Homme's petite taille. I was going to buy suit from them, but I got really disappointed. the free alteration was nice, but the pants' quality was not even on par with Theory's and the wool was flimsy.

I'm not sure how extensively you have searched for women's jackets, but I found it extremely difficult to find any with quality a men's tailor would deliver. (I have not found a shop with made-to-measure service either). I found Balenciaga's jackets the best although they are not as nice as, say, Canali for men.

If you saw any of the items in display, chances are they had traveled around the world for trunk shows. Wear and tear are expected after all those people put them on.

I agree that the jackets with characters will only last for a season, but there are ones without.

Well I personally believe that a lot of what Nicolas Guesquière has produced lately is VERY trend-oriented and that I find that he changes direction too many times, jumping from one theme to another from season to season, rather than building a cohesive, lasting wardrobe.

I saw some of the velvet cutaway jackets and double breasted jackets with piping or embroidery details during a brief trip to Berlin, and I thought that the edges were not cut nicely, so the seams would end up looking bulky and unevenly flat...on one of the jackets they had on display, the pocket on the hips was already starting to fray where it was inserted... and these goods were surely not hanging for a long time, that's for sure!

I didn't see any of the tweed jackets hanging, however, but believe that they will be a better investment than the blazers (I find them to be more classically-sculptural than too heavily derived from a specific 'theme' as the other jackets are, with all those little embroideries) ... which I think, Balenciaga's factory cannot produce at a decent quality level to justify the high price. I would much rather buy a tailored jacket from a designer that is doing it in a classically men's constructed manner then to have it from a womenswear designer where such a piece doesn't look properly 'authentic'... Taralis or Dior Homme's petite taille had such jackets for women in authentic British woollen cloths or as tuxedos that I find more timeless and versatile to wear and carry over from one season to another.

 

[tricotineacetat]

Please, not Dior Homme's petite taille. I was going to buy suit from them, but I got really disappointed. the free alteration was nice, but the pants' quality was not even on par with Theory's and the wool was flimsy.

I'm not sure how extensively you have searched for women's jackets, but I found it extremely difficult to find any with quality a men's tailor would deliver. (I have not found a shop with made-to-measure service either). I found Balenciaga's jackets the best although they are not as nice as, say, Canali for men.

If you saw any of the items in display, chances are they had traveled around the world for trunk shows. Wear and tear are expected after all those people put them on.

I agree that the jackets with characters will only last for a season, but there are ones without.

Well I think the fabric quality has deteriorated continuously season after season with Dior, the more often I checked back, I saw less of the nice British or Japanese wools and more of the mediocre qualities that brands like Prada or Boss would use in their collections. I think that's a fatal mistake for a 'minimal' product as that, you better have it all made in flawless fabrication. It's also best to keep in mind that the petite taille sizing does not work well on a variety of bodies, it's the men's cut, adapted to female standards, with slightly smaller volumes in the shoulder and the arm, sometiems the length of the jacket. It will most definitely not make you an amazingly small waist, but that's probably not the intention there, if you go for a properly 'mannish' suit jacket.

I don't know if they changed fabrication at Dior when you bought your suit, but they used to work with one of the leading producers in Italy for men's RTW suiting when the label got started, I saw similar decline starting in S/S 2006 with the shoulder pads or arms not being correctly inserted by hand, so that you would see odds and ends of the pads poking out from the shoulder... eeek!

Back to Balenciaga, though.

I think the jackets they were showing on the mannequin were indeed production pieces as they were regularly labeled and since I saw more of these styles hanging on the racks...

I think generally we are coming to a point in high fashion where it's about time to separate who is running a house with a true artisanal background in clothes making or if it is one with an emphasize on offering a global luxury goods vision and distribution. At a scale as Balenciaga and all the major houses are aiming, with higher quantities and sourced-out manufacturing contracts, you cannot deliver the same level of quality as if you were working with smaller ateliers and small production runs. I think at Balenciaga you can actually have some pieces made to order or buy some of the show pieces of the rack that are hand-made in Paris, such as the Lesage-beaded pieces and some of the elaborately-cutted jackets and dresses - S/S 2006's riding jackets with lace panels and corsetry boning were for instance made there, and it obviously showed in the price tag, not taking into the obvious effort of the making.

It's interesting to see a label like Boudicca slowly growing into a more classicist, demi-couture direction with genuinely hand-finished pieces. As some might already know, they have always been well known for their (sometimes deconstructed) men's tailoring and exquisite fabric choice. I find their's to be truely worthy investment pieces season after season, judging from the level of debth they put into the making of their clothes - It's sometimes for the sake of accessorization and showmanship that their look appears difficult from first look.

 

[notmanons]

$4,175!!!
My God! For a pair of shoes!?!?!

 

[Grill]

Thanks for your input Tricotineacetat on quality concerns.

I was lead to believe that Balenciaga used Gucci group factories and that Balenciaga clothing always takes ages to arrive in store because they are last in line for production runs for the group. Currently, I have made reservations for 3 pieces from the catwalk collection but will definitely be forfeiting the Blazer I had my eye on - not due to quality concerns though - due to the fact that by the time it actually arrives in store here it'll be too cold to wear!

I'd love to know if you saw any of the scarves with the chain detail Trico though? I'd love to know what you thought of the execution and quality. I was hoping that they'd be timeless due to their artistry rather than simply a trendy item - but probably I am wrong.

 

[Grill]

I saw one of the tweed jackets in August Vogue and thought it was beautiful. I definitely think you've picked the right jacket there GuessGirl96!

 

[Caffeine]

My observation regarding Petite Taille was based on SS06. I agree that "for a 'minimal' product as that, you better have it all made in flawless fabrication."
The Petite taille tailoring is definitely based on men's bodies. I was told that every female needed to have the pants tailored to accommodate curves while I was complaining about the cut...
Just want to clarify, Tricot, did you see the jackets from the runway not the precollection? We're not going to receive anything until late Sep., so Berlin is really early! I also have to add that the pre-collections' quality is definitely not as good as the main collection. So are the capsule collections.
Also agree on your comments regarding Boudicca. I wish that they could produce clothing with more fabric choices.

Well I think the fabric quality has deteriorated continuously season after season with Dior, the more often I checked back, I saw less of the nice British or Japanese wools and more of the mediocre qualities that brands like Prada or Boss would use in their collections. I think that's a fatal mistake for a 'minimal' product as that, you better have it all made in flawless fabrication. It's also best to keep in mind that the petite taille sizing does not work well on a variety of bodies, it's the men's cut, adapted to female standards, with slightly smaller volumes in the shoulder and the arm, sometiems the length of the jacket. It will most definitely not make you an amazingly small waist, but that's probably not the intention there, if you go for a properly 'mannish' suit jacket.

I don't know if they changed fabrication at Dior when you bought your suit, but they used to work with one of the leading producers in Italy for men's RTW suiting when the label got started, I saw similar decline starting in S/S 2006 with the shoulder pads or arms not being correctly inserted by hand, so that you would see odds and ends of the pads poking out from the shoulder... eeek!

Back to Balenciaga, though.

I think the jackets they were showing on the mannequin were indeed production pieces as they were regularly labeled and since I saw more of these styles hanging on the racks...

I think generally we are coming to a point in high fashion where it's about time to separate who is running a house with a true artisanal background in clothes making or if it is one with an emphasize on offering a global luxury goods vision and distribution. At a scale as Balenciaga and all the major houses are aiming, with higher quantities and sourced-out manufacturing contracts, you cannot deliver the same level of quality as if you were working with smaller ateliers and small production runs. I think at Balenciaga you can actually have some pieces made to order or buy some of the show pieces of the rack that are hand-made in Paris, such as the Lesage-beaded pieces and some of the elaborately-cutted jackets and dresses - S/S 2006's riding jackets with lace panels and corsetry boning were for instance made there, and it obviously showed in the price tag, not taking into the obvious effort of the making.

It's interesting to see a label like Boudicca slowly growing into a more classicist, demi-couture direction with genuinely hand-finished pieces. As some might already know, they have always been well known for their (sometimes deconstructed) men's tailoring and exquisite fabric choice. I find their's to be truely worthy investment pieces season after season, judging from the level of debth they put into the making of their clothes - It's sometimes for the sake of accessorization and showmanship that their look appears difficult from first look.