Balenciaga F/W 2003.04 New York

[spottie]

this is one of those collections i wasn't enamoured with at first...it seemed a bit too disjointed, but then i saw it in person and there is so much detailing there...
i have one of those pleated skirts from the first set, and it's still looks fabulous now...

Thanks, kimair, for posting these pictures. I know *exactly* which skirt you're talking about and it's a beauty! I have the navy jacket that Dewi's wearing in the first set and it still looks good too.

 

[shirleebee]

what a prescient collection.

 

[pucci_mama]

I got one of the jackets from this collection and the craftsmanship

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is just out of this world...

However is nor very 'wearable'

 

[Petit Lucille]

wow, i'd wear it all the time... even in summer!kidding..
i always loved this collection, and those tigh-high boots have always been a reference to me. i wish i had found something similar, is it really that hard? round-toe, light grey??? really???
anyway.. i was wondering why aren't any hqs of the show, i searched and couldn't find any.

 

[Squizree]

^ Resources for these kinds of shows are a bit difficult to find, especially Balenciaga I think. So HQs might be a bit hard to locate.

The video is a completely different topic altogether

 

[mikeijames]

funny enough i was just thinking of this collection since burberry just showed some of the most exciting shearling jackets on their menswear catwalk that i've seen since this collection....

 

[YohjiAddict]

livingly

 

[YohjiAddict]

livingly

 

[Lola701]

One of the best thing Phoebe did was copying those boots for her FW13 collection...
The look on Joanna Preiss is a masterclass of modernity. The NYC collections were great because they really allowed Nicolas to embrace the street/urban wardrobe of his style. It was maybe less sophisticated in the allure but still very elevated in terms of construction and details.

One of the biggest change in Nicolas’s aesthetic over the years has been the ease. His silhouettes were always very tight, controlled, constructed and over the years, his hand became softer. He is maybe a lot more literal now in his interpretations of the 80’s. The spirit of Alaia and Gaultier is very much present here but it’s very subtle.

Nicolas is really one of the greats greats!

 

[GivenchyHomme]

Still very very chic. The little pastel frou-frou dresses are a NO even for 2003. His earlier collections still remain modern and wearable.I miss the days when he made clothes that could be broken down and integrated into any woman's wardrobe. That was his strength and that's why he rose straight to the top. Ah the good old days...

 

[YohjiAddict]

One of the best thing Phoebe did was copying those boots for her FW13 collection

I was hesitant to post my thoughts about those Céline boots and its similarity to the ones here because I felt that maybe it was unfait to think that Ghésquiere was the one to come up with the idea. Skin thight thigh-highs seem like an styling trick you'd see more but they're the only two instances I remember. Sacai F/W 15.16 offered a chunkier more practical version but Pheobe's ones are really similar down to the heel, her collection has some other subtle similarities too, her pastel colored wools for one. Love that Céline show though, my favorite from her in retrospect.

The idea behind this collection was childrenswear apparently, doesn't seem that weird once you see how cropped the coats and jackets are, or how he plays with the sleeves and the placement of elbows to create a shrunken round silhouette. The pieces with giant grommets reminded me of Margiela's doll clothes show, something an innocent toy soldier would wear to war.

Now the question of the season, Helmut's or Nicolas' '03 frilly pastel dresses? Who did it better?

 

[Lola701]

^^
I prefer Nicolas’s as they are sexier and more vivid. The ruffles are fuller...
But Helmut and more appropriate I would say.

I miss the days when he made clothes that could be broken down and integrated into any woman's wardrobe. That was his strength and that's why he rose straight to the top. Ah the good old days...

He still do. I mean, at least his clothes are still integrated in my wardrobe....
But the real difference is indeed that it’s less about the total look or the « silhouette » as he like to say. The beauty of this collection, the majority of his Balenciaga collections or even his first Vuitton collection to what he does lately is the fact that he really gave a whole look. MAS’s layering has been really out of control when Nicolas’s clothes really don’t need it. The pieces are really strong on their own.

 

[Phuel]

Now the question of the season, Helmut's or Nicolas' '03 frilly pastel dresses? Who did it better?

No contest. Helmut was the greater visionary by far.

I was never familiar with Nicolas during this period, and I am pleasantly shocked and impressed at how much it does resemble Helmut’s progress during this period (as someone had posted in the Helmut collection thread from the same Season/year These two must be in some sort of beautiful, telepathic synergy. Both collections could easily meld into one another and none would be the wiser (except for Nicolas’ clunky pieces with the oversized lacings and the pouf-Prairie sleeves….).