Balenciaga S/S 2014 Paris

[Melancholybaby]

^Those were exactly the looks I was thinking of when writing this.

 

[StrawberrySpring]

i love the color palette!
some of the pieces are growing on me. i guess this collection will be really popular.

 

[YOYD]

Too much referencing going on! Not much originality- and the last 2 dresses belong in Jenny Peckham not Balenciaga.

 

[Nepenthes]

This collection is really beautiful and will sell really well. Despite not having seen HQ photos yet, I can tell there are incredible details. It's definitely referential, as other members have already stated, but let's give the guy a break. This is his first big show for the brand -he has time to evolve. From what I have seen so far, Alex's future at Balenciaga looks very promising!

 

[mistress_f]

as much as i love to hate on alexander wang, this is nice. I liked his first collection better, but overall i can't complain, even though there's a couple of hideous things here and there. i guess it'll be very trendy and will sell well.

 

[TaylorBinque]

Tbh, I actually think this is very lovely. And he definitely goes back to the house codes and interprets in a very commercial way.

 

[lelaid]

It's nice enough. I liked last season more but this show wasn't bad.

 

[Miss Dalloway]

What a gorgeous entirely fluid collection. And because I'm looking at this from a customer perspective, and just want gorgeous pieces, couldn't care less who he is referencing!

 

[liberty33r1b]

I love this, it looks beautiful and sophisticated

 

[Style Savvy]

I actually like the first half of the collection but the 2nd one looks very Dior by Raf Simons. The color palette is amazing!

 

[Nymphaea]

Lovely pieces, feels like Dior, but I don't mind.

 

[Salvatore]

I must state that, first, I am happy to see colour ! That's very lovely. Secondly, I think this is really cool and I can see him developing. Such a nice collection !!

 

[fierceboi]

This collection is a mess. If he had stuck to one or two ideas, expanded it into a collection it have been more focused.

 

[dior_couture1245]

So boring. So average. So expected.

I know I liked his debut collection at first, but the longer I looked at it, the more I realized how average it truly was. And now this.

He is so incapable of creating anything truly "designed." All he's good for is a t-shirt and a sweatshirt. Every time he tries to really construct or drape or venture into complicated pattern making, he ALWAYS fails.

Just a show filled with basics gussied up in a flashy presentation and on flashy, big name, old and new favorite models. It's all a great distraction. Almost makes you forget the clothes. Which, in fact, as I'm typing this now, have forgotten all specifics about this collection except that Daria Werbowy closed the show. Telling.

Nicolas' collections were ALWAYS about the clothes. And his showpieces were always an integral part of the message of the collection and not only that, even when they were extreme, they were always desirable. I can't say the same about Wang's "showpieces." They're just awkward. They're just tricky - to make you think they're feats of construction and design - but no, they're just some strategically placed ruffles.

I hate that Wang is at this house. Of all the houses to be at, it's the most revered house in fashion history. Is nothing sacred anymore? Truly shameful. Absolutely shameful.

 

[GERGIN]

Beautiful, BEAUTIFUL collection. I got Raf Simons vibes too, but Alexander Wang is very much in this collection too.

 

[Nymphaea]

HQ's

style

 

[Nymphaea]

continued...

style

 

[Nymphaea]

continued...

style

 

[HeatherAnne]

It's nowhere near as cool as his debut, but it's still pretty solid. I love most of the monochrome black and white pieces. It's way better than the messes Nicolas was putting out at the end.

 

[Fashiognosis]

Boring. I've seen these all. Like lemeray said, he's not referencing Balenciaga, he's referencing Nicolas. And Alexander Wang is not Nicolas Ghesquiere. It's not a bad collection, what is bad is that i'm afraid we are near into the end of innovativeness of Balenciaga. The late Cristobal Balenciaga was always an innovator, his collections were never nostalgic but instead always relentlessly modern and forward-looking. The house of Balenciaga is the thrust into the future. And that's exactly what Nicolas did when he's still at the helm of Balenciaga. Nicolas is undoubtly the most original designer of his generation. I prefer last season much as there's something original from Wang.

Now being Nicolas' successor it's impossible not to compare Wang to him, it can't be easy and it's supposed to not be easy if you're at the helm of a house that is famous for innovativeness. Alexander Wang's experience is nothing near Nicolas' and with a house as big as Balenciaga i think he should learn more, because i won't be eager to see another "reference" collection for seasons ahead.

Congratulations for Kering i guess. Now they have a designer that they can pretty much control and won't let him to be bigger than the house again (cc: Tom & Nicolas)