Balenciaga F/W 2023.24 Paris

[plentyofhorns]

after looking at his balenciaga collections from start to finish on vogue runway, it is glaringly obvious how much he fell for the gimmicks. each show became more absurd, shoving as many viral moments as possible into our faces. and his direction wasn’t stopping. the shows before the scandal involved gimp suits on wall street and stomping through mud. there were fun moments like the over layered coats in FW2018, but those times are over. this era needs to end.

 

[Urban Stylin]

It would have been beneficial for both parties if they parted ways liek Galliano did with Dior. Demna would have disappeared then come back after maybe 2 or 3 years with his own atelier meanwhile Balenciaga would work with a BTS team maybe getting inspiration from the archives till they found a worthy designer.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

The best way to convince people you're not a pedophile is to not put pedophile looks on the runway. I guess Demna did not get that memo.

This was not the collection he needed to create.

Either he is unable or unwilling to change.

It's time for him to go.

 

[KoV]

The best way to convince people you're not a pedophile is to not put pedophile looks on the runway. I guess Demna did not get that memo.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I feel I'm missing something in terms of "pedophile looks"... to which look are you referring? I don't see anything controversial. Plenty of boring looks, a handful of ugly looks, and a few decent ones. But where is the controversy in these particular looks?

 

[gazebo]

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I feel I'm missing something in terms of "pedophile looks"... to which look are you referring? I don't see anything controversial. Plenty of boring looks, a handful of ugly looks, and a few decent ones. But where is the controversy in these particular looks?

I think if you look for it, you'll sure find it; and that's the whole point.

 

[susseinmcswanny]

Also you know... I'm kinda digging that beige faux fur

 

[Deleted member 7575]

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I feel I'm missing something in terms of "pedophile looks"... to which look are you referring? I don't see anything controversial. Plenty of boring looks, a handful of ugly looks, and a few decent ones. But where is the controversy in these particular looks?

I was half joking but I'm referring to all the looks with the sweats, hunchback shoulders, and sunglasses.

It's definitely intentionally creepy. If I were a civilian and were only familiar with Balenciaga through the scandal it would scream pedophile to me.

 

[susseinmcswanny]

she's startin...

 

[gallianostan]

he had his chance and he blew it. if i'm being honest i really never had any faith in his vision or his non-existent talent, and now i feel vindicated. strip back the theatrics, gimmicks, and controversy and there's absolutely nothing of substance.

now, finally, off to the gallows please.

 

[tctra]

This is definitely a post major controversy collection. he was probably told to tone it all the way down

 

[jeanclaude]

I was expecting exactly this...and he delivered as always. There is no more proof of his lack of talent as a fashion designer, than this collection.

He is not a talented fashion designer. He is a talented marketing director (well...he was until the pedo scandal).

This is the way he shows his "love for making clothes". And ignoring once again the basic fact that he is at Balenciaga...not at Margiela!!
His obsession with the work of Margiela is sickening, to the point of repeating all the time his "favourite" concepts, stolen from Martin´s collections.

The only Balenciaga related look here is the last coat. And of course, he managed to make it look like a parody of it:

 

[Kennnnn]

Cathy Horyn wrote a glowing review of the collection, with some interesting details... like how some trousers had another pair sewn on top of them, and how some of the cocoon jackets will be sold with a mini air pump. It all sounded so ridiculous.

 

[perhydrol]

^Those details make no sense, just like this whole collection.

 

[Koibito]

Just read that review and that seems not the Cathy Horyn we used to know. The way she defends Demna and Charbit is so clumsy and ridiculous. It’s like i’m reading their belated apology again, nothing new and convincing.

Then she talks about how great Demna has worked for the house and no one can replace him. Where were you when John Galliano got fired?

 

[Caffeine]

I'm convinced that Demna and his generation of designers hate women. Who on earth would ever wear those pieces in normal lives?

It's gone. Please hire someone who can make wearable clothes for normal people. Thank you.

 

[Blaiseybabey]

I think my hopes were waaay to high.
I mean, I thought he'd literally push the rest button offering us something that would be at least close to what Alexander Wang did for the brand (and personally, I think Demna is not Wang but Wang's work is the closest to what Demna's offered us I think). I don't know, something maybe like Demna's first couture show mixed with Wang's fall 2015 collection (the take on bourgeois mood). And we got that.

Found a few pieces that were ok, found the use of suit pants waistbands as finishing of the suit jackets quite interesting but...it's too little for what we'd expected and what we'd needed I think.

Imagine if Demna did something like Ackermann has done for JPG - I know it's wishful thinking but that would have really reset the whole brand had they followed with rebranding etc.

 

[Joromana]

I was half joking but I'm referring to all the looks with the sweats, hunchback shoulders, and sunglasses.

It's definitely intentionally creepy. If I were a civilian and were only familiar with Balenciaga through the scandal it would scream pedophile to me.

I'm confused. How do sweatpants, hunched shoulders, and sunglasses 'scream pedophile' exactly? All the ones I've seen on true crime shoes just look like greasy overweight nerds.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

I'm confused. How do sweatpants, hunched shoulders, and sunglasses 'scream pedophile' exactly? All the ones I've seen on true crime shoes just look like greasy overweight nerds.

Because they look creepy/monstrous/inhuman and because the association has already been made by the brand multiple times in its advertising

 

[Deleted member 7575]

This has child molester written all over.

 

[Blaiseybabey]

Because they look creepy/monstrous/inhuman and because the association has already been made by the brand multiple times in its advertising

This makes me think - I guess people and the industry sometimes forget that a designer's job is not only to ensure the longevity of the heritage/legacy and making it attractive to new generations, coherent with the Zeitgeist. The whole thing with Balenciaga shows how easy it is to (permanently) tarnish the reputation/image of a brand across the board. I even see this in my office, full of IT people who know Balenciaga now for two reasons:

• the memes and the ridiculousness of the designs (some people actually learned about the existence of the brand thanks to all these marketing tricks. When I told them that the brand had existed for circa 60 years if not more, they were very surprised). Whether we like it or not, Demna's work has really elevated Balenciaga's brand awareness among lay-men.
• and, now, sadly, because of that pedophile controversy - all the gains of the above have been wiped out. Because us, people into fashion, we know that Balenciaga is more than just Demna's tricks - it's Cristobal's elegance and craft; Ghesquiere's creativity and modern approach; Wang's (short-lived) translation of the heritage into the streetwear...
  
  it's pretty sad.