Balenciaga Haute Couture F/W 2022.23 Paris

[Deleted member 7575]

From Mona Bismarck to Sylvia Mantella, wow..I don't think there is anything else to say to best illustrate how fashion and times in general have changed (whether for the best or the worst, I'll leave to you guys to decide). I have my answer...

For Balenciaga? The worse.

Fortunately, there's a whole bunch of other clothes out there.

 

[jeanclaude]

Those customers look like they are cosplaying Balenciaga, instead of wearing Balenciaga.

 

[gallianostan]

Question marks indicate a question is being asked.

the question mark was there to invite someone else to confirm what i had already known - that balenciaga was on the fhcm's a/w 22 haute couture calendar. your response neither confirmed nor disputed that. stop being obtuse.

 

[Cocteau Stone]

Those customers look like they are cosplaying Balenciaga, instead of wearing Balenciaga.

Between the obsession of this kind of attitude of absolute branded excess and hyped trends (I.e. y2k), fashion really does feel like one big cosplay convention doesn’t it?

We barely even see point of views anymore. Even this show actually felt like one long parody of itself where no one was in on the joke. Nothing contemporary, just a facade made of costumes.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

the question mark was there to invite someone else to confirm what i had already known - that balenciaga was on the fhcm's a/w 22 haute couture calendar. your response neither confirmed nor disputed that. stop being obtuse.

So, you did ask a question?

See, that's another question.

 

[Lola701]

lol she is so insufferable...and she's got more and more unnecessary procedure on her face.
To your comment on people wearing couture in concerts etc., I think it's a chicken/egg question...did couture start producing more showy pieces or did the clientele change?

There’s a change in clientele that is undeniable. And that in part what has contributed to the success of Couture in the past 15 years. I mean those who says that Couture is dying have no understanding of the reality of the industry now…

Back in the day, Couture was a social circle. Those women knew of each other, they saw each other in Paris and it was really that idea of a world of Haute Couture. Designers were really making clothes for women of the high society and it was about lifestyle. Those women knew the designers, sometimes were hosted by the designers (Valentino or Karl threw parties for them) and dressed for each other. It was an outrageous competition of style and there were rules in a way to fit in.

Today it’s different. There are rich people with insane money all around the world. And they don’t need the validation of that handful of women to be considered ladies of style even if they have kept the rules and some them have been through that time when they had to fit in.
Today, the stage is social media for that new generation…
I remember one season at Chanel I met a young Couture client. She was already a good customer and I will always remember her because her favorite house was Ralph and Russo and for me it was so confusing because for me those brands are like total opposite. But to be considered as a Couture client, Chanel, Dior, Valenrino and Armani Privé are mandatory. You have no weight if your wardrobe is only Elie Saab, Christophe Josse and Adeline Andre…
So she dressed for social media. I remember the fun fact that she showed me her IG and you could believe that she was an influencer at the time. And I felt like for her the real validation was on her followers.
And while I forgot what her IG was I will always remember that she bought a dress for Virginie’s first collection and she had a whole photoshoot for it.

So we have gone from a generation of women who dressed for each other to another that dress for social media. Sometimes I wonder if they consider themselves as influencers because they obviously lives the same lifestyle. The Christine woman lives the same lifestyle as a Bryan Boy…

We never mention it but each season and almost regularly, we see a Couture client wear the clothes and we see how the clothes fit into her lifestyle… That person is Anna Wintour. But her profile is similar to people from the older generation…

 

[Deleted member 7575]

There’s a change in clientele that is undeniable. And that in part what has contributed to the success of Couture in the past 15 years. I mean those who says that Couture is dying have no understanding of the reality of the industry now…

Back in the day, Couture was a social circle. Those women knew of each other, they saw each other in Paris and it was really that idea of a world of Haute Couture. Designers were really making clothes for women of the high society and it was about lifestyle. Those women knew the designers, sometimes were hosted by the designers (Valentino or Karl threw parties for them) and dressed for each other. It was an outrageous competition of style and there were rules in a way to fit in.

Today it’s different. There are rich people with insane money all around the world. And they don’t need the validation of that handful of women to be considered ladies of style even if they have kept the rules and some them have been through that time when they had to fit in.
Today, the stage is social media for that new generation…
I remember one season at Chanel I met a young Couture client. She was already a good customer and I will always remember her because her favorite house was Ralph and Russo and for me it was so confusing because for me those brands are like total opposite. But to be considered as a Couture client, Chanel, Dior, Valenrino and Armani Privé are mandatory. You have no weight if your wardrobe is only Elie Saab, Christophe Josse and Adeline Andre…
So she dressed for social media. I remember the fun fact that she showed me her IG and you could believe that she was an influencer at the time. And I felt like for her the real validation was on her followers.
And while I forgot what her IG was I will always remember that she bought a dress for Virginie’s first collection and she had a whole photoshoot for it.

So we have gone from a generation of women who dressed for each other to another that dress for social media. Sometimes I wonder if they consider themselves as influencers because they obviously lives the same lifestyle. The Christine woman lives the same lifestyle as a Bryan Boy…

We never mention it but each season and almost regularly, we see a Couture client wear the clothes and we see how the clothes fit into her lifestyle… That person is Anna Wintour. But her profile is similar to people from the older generation…

If we can credit Demna with anything (besides sacrilege), it's that he's reinvented couture for exactly that paradigm shift you described.

It's very 80's: big, showy, conspicuous consumption. Lots of money, not so much taste. It's a different aesthetic but it's very much about being seen and validated.

You rather accurately described the current state of things. But you know the thing about fashion: what is in must go out. The pendulum always swings back the other way and I for one cannot wait. There will be a retaliation against the vulgarity on social media. People will look for distinction elsewhere and discretion will come back into fashion.

Or so I hope.

 

[StylishCynic]

In case anyone is wondering whether or not each piece of the collection meets the standards of Couture, one of the atelier tailors posted some pictures of her garments in progress and sewing machines were indeed used to finish off some garments (looks 20, 24, and 25 confirmed) :


I've also been tracking the prices of the items available in the Couture Boutique. Whether you agree that the concept is a gimmick or not, it's a fascinating act of transparency for Couture pricing:

• Bose Bluetooth Speaker Bag: €8 500
• Crinkled Aluminium Jersey Zip Up Hoodie: €15 000
• Crinkled Aluminium Jersey T-Shirt: €7 500
• Mercedes AMG Petronas Face Shield: €5 500
  
• Upcycled Belt Trench Coat: €50 000
• Upcycled Helly Hansen Parka (Look #25) : €45 000

 

[MagFan]

They all use sewing machines. Why they should not do that

 

[jeanclaude]

"Upcycled" and €50 000...in the same sentence...

 

[StylishCynic]

They all use sewing machines. Why they should not do that

Shouldn’t true Haute Couture be hand-sewn? I was under the assumption that materials can be machine-made, but the garments themselves should never be finished with a sewing machine.

 

[gallianostan]

Shouldn’t true Haute Couture be hand-sewn?

not exclusively, no? many couture houses use sewing machines to finish up looks - i thought this was common knowledge.

see below:

 

[Cocteau Stone]

Shouldn’t true Haute Couture be hand-sewn? I was under the assumption that materials can be machine-made, but the garments themselves should never be finished with a sewing machine.

In theory, yes. But there are also other rules regarding the size of the atelier based on staff and number of looks (often why couture shows can drag on a bit if the designer isn’t great). I can’t remember the exacts, but I also believe ‘x’ amount of machine sewing is okay as long as it is balanced out with a certain amount of hand sewing. Whether that is per look or in the collection over all I’m not sure.

What is notable is that the pieces you posted are the tracksuits, so other more meticulous pieces probably meet the standards far more so they balance out relatively… I guess. That being said, Balenciaga is a guest not a member so the rules may waiver slightly too.

I remember watching the behind the scenes video on YouTube regarding Galliano’s last couture collection for Dior and they were making Olga Sherer’s look from start to finish. One thing I noted was not just the amount of machine sewing, but they busted out a humble little domestic Janome machine to do some of the sewing. Despite that, there was still a lot of hand basting, sewing, beading, draping for the moulage and all the other hand techniques to get the fabrics pleated right were also used, so the rules must be based on a ratio balance.

 

[Cocteau Stone]

not exclusively, no? many couture houses use sewing machines to finish up looks - i thought this was common knowledge.

see below:

HA! The exact video I was talking about posted at the same time. Still humours me when they bring the domestic out. If it’s good enough for Dior, it’s good enough for me.

 

[gallianostan]

HA! The exact video I was talking about posted at the same time. Still humours me when they bring the domestic out. If it’s good enough for Dior, it’s good enough for me.

great minds think alike! and agreed - the construction of this look impressed me so much when i first watched it that i barely paid attention to the use of sewing machines. the workmanship is extraordinary.

 

[Kite]

Haute Couture uses sewing machines. The art of couture is that its sewn 'By Hand' meaning individually, usually start to finish by the same seamstress or technical hand, instead of in a factory line process where many people take elements of the garment and only stitch that segment on a production run.

There is no 'Production Run' on an Haute Couture garment as they're all made to measure, this however doesn't mean they can't use machines to do major seam lines to make them study enough for wear. Hope that helps.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

Shouldn’t true Haute Couture be hand-sewn? I was under the assumption that materials can be machine-made, but the garments themselves should never be finished with a sewing machine.

No, sewing machines are allowed in haute couture and are almost always used for straight stitches and seams. That's always been the case.

That said, there are also a whole bunch of other hand stitches and techniques that are fairly exclusive to couture and that are used just as much if not more so.

Hand stitching isn't used in HC because it is inherently better, but because it can be used in places and can do things that machine stitches can't. To accomplish effects and feats of engineering that are often subtle and nuanced but totally out of the question in a RTW factory.

 

[Frederic01]

LOIC PRIGENT

 

[Lola701]

LOIC PRIGENT

Seriously, Danielle is wonderful!
This kind of reportage makes me angry about Demna really because I think he is gifted, talented and somehow I « get him » but then he put trashy boring oversized hoodies and jeans on the runway.