Balmain F/W 10.11 Paris

[InnocentSuccubus]

If you look at the silhouettes, they are pretty much identical to the previous seasons.
But there is an attention to detail in the fabrics that's admirable. But overall I can't shake the wonder that perhaps Christopher Decarnin is a one trick pony. And when the time comes and his 'rocker girl' moves on, will he be able to?

 

[.amahlia.]

i thought it was am amazing improvement from last season

 

[helmut.newton]

I think there's a clear difference between a signature look and using it as a template to produce a different collection season to season as oppose to literally taking the same dress and just beading it differently; making it seem like its just an extension of the past season.

Everyone knows Balmain and its price tag; so I wouldn't be surprised if everyone looks at a woman wearing it in a party and gets all the looks. I highly doubt people will say "oh she looks beautiful". They're probably thinking "wow look at that Balmain".

Oh, I agree 100% .

What Dercanin designs for Balmain, or rather what he designs and propagates as 'a signature' for Balmain, is anyting but and cannot be compared to Chanels tweed jackets and Prada's nylon bags.

Besides, there is a clear distinction between a signature and a trend. A signature lives on. A trend does not. These accentuated shoulders and bedazzled dresses and the general 80's pastiche Dercanin has created for Balmain will look awfully outdated in seasons to come. They will not live on in the same way the Chanel boucle jacket has.

Also, this collection is terribly démodé. All Dercanin has done is taken the idea of Baroque and embroidered accordingly to the same silhouettes he has been showing for many seasons now. Many designers have done this before, in Milan particularly. This is nothing new and nothing interesting. I dont know why people are swooning over this, when we have seen this many times before at less popular maisons.

 

[Rightguard]

No thank you. When the sound track started playing, the Prince and the Revolution inspiration became clear as day and it is way too much. Hopefully Decarnin will get inspiration from Rick James or Cameo next.

 

[Spike413]

in what universe is brocade not evocative of that sense of luxury? also, you might not like the cut, but you cannot deny that design went into cutting this coat. if this same coat appeared over a lanvin frock on a lanvin runway, many in this very thread would swoon over it.

style.com

Not all brocade is created equal, and more often than not when it comes to clothing there is a cheap kind of look to brocade no matter how much it costs per yard. Decarnin isn't the first designer to make baroque brocade look awful and he likely won't be the last.

As for your second point, cutting and designing are two completely separate things. Yeah it's cut well, but there isn't much design to it. From what I can see the pattern isn't particularly intricate or unusual, and you wouldn't need a visionary head designer to think it up. You'd just need a good pattern maker and a decent knowledge of fashion history.

 

[TianCouture]

I'm sure I know what I can expect from this collection, so I am not going to even bother looking b.c. it's probably just awful. But I agree, brocade certainly does not come with the "luxury" tag as so many people would assume. I just did a quick glance at the brocade pieces (all pieces, actually) and I just do not understand the hype. It's just regurgitated s***. Boring and utterly tasteless. And let's face it, a jacket like this would never be shown @ Lanvin. I agree w/ what spike said. You can have the most accurate pattern and cut, but sometimes it means NOTHING if the design isn't there, and it is certainly missing here.

 

[ponytrot]

Same old, same old, but now uglier than ever.

Good to know I can now get the "Balmain look" in my local thrift shop.

 

[anisorfue]

big shoulders are still on.. love everything at balmain..

 

[girlalamode]

I really don't like this collection.

 

[kowie]

I see Paris Voguettes and Anna Dello Russo wearing it.

I also see Rihanna wearing it..

 

[TianCouture]

Rihanna is about as much of a "style icon" as my pinkie is. Big deal she wears it.

 

[Milada]

Based on the beginning I thought I was gonna like it at least a bit because I loved Freja's first outfit, but that's really it. The rest was typical re-hash and redundant. I kept thinking I was clicking the back button by accident because the collection was so repetitive. Putting aside the lack of freshness, I don't even find the clothes appealing on a purely aesthetic level.

 

[Milada]

I also see Rihanna wearing it..

Not sure if you mean that as an insult, but I can most definitely see this collection going to both Beyonce and Rihanna. There's metallics and drama, but it's not refined. Exaggerated soldiers, plunging necklines, and the material all squeezing the body. Sorry, if that came across as harsh.

 

[kowie]

I said it to describe the collection, not to pinpoint that her style is tasteless (although it is)

 

[Danhat Ward]

Somehow the outfits look cheap so I'm not really excited by the collection.

 

[Creative]

Omg, it's really hard to believe a human being can create so much ugliness. This is so sad.

This is absolutely AWFUL.

 

[mikeijames]

I'm sure I know what I can expect from this collection, so I am not going to even bother looking b.c. it's probably just awful....

what's so funny as i read through the comments remains how many say they didn't even need to look at this collection before they knew they wouldn't like it. while their opinions should get freely expressed and have value as all opinions do, it's quite funny to think that's what some rely on as legitimate fashion criticism to support their dislike of this collection.

if you don't like the balmain silhouette, that's valid. if you don't like the techniques used by this house, that's valid. however, just saying you don't like it because it has the label balmain points out everything that's wrong with the blogosphere at the moment. seriously, how can someone criticize whether or not decarnin can design without seeing the clothes?

 

[Spike413]

^ I think those comments are meant to express that the collection will essentially be the same as it has been, just with a different hackneyed inspiration behind it. You really don't need to view a Balmain collection to have an idea of what it looks like at this point.

I don't believe it has anything at all to do solely with the name. If you didn't like the Balmain collections that came before this it stands to reason that this one won't be the one to shake up your world.

 

[mikeijames]

Not all brocade is created equal, and more often than not when it comes to clothing there is a cheap kind of look to brocade no matter how much it costs per yard. Decarnin isn't the first designer to make baroque brocade look awful and he likely won't be the last.

now, for the legitimate criticism: brocade, if it's done right, evokes luxury. it does it at roberto cavalli. it does it at dolce and gabbana. it does it at balenciaga. it does it at oscar de la renta. it's mind blowing to find myself reading those who derided decarnin's use of DESTROYED DENIM and RIPPED COTTON now also scream at him for using BROCADE. how can one equate his past collections -- which used different materials for a completely different effect -- with this collection that has an entirely different genesis? also, what specificially in the fabrication at balenciaga (in spring of 2006 if i recall correctly) evoked the luxury experience more than they do here?

As for your second point, cutting and designing are two completely separate things. Yeah it's cut well, but there isn't much design to it. From what I can see the pattern isn't particularly intricate or unusual, and you wouldn't need a visionary head designer to think it up. You'd just need a good pattern maker and a decent knowledge of fashion history.

we can agree on that. as a designer, decarnin took a house associated with ladylike suiting and red carpet gowns and created a house that's beloved by everyone from rockstars to near-doyennes. as a designer, he gave the house a new vocabulary and a new perspective. as a designer, he's created a look that everyone can picture when someone says, "the balmain look." that's the work of a designer. now, he could have executed that in a way where it falls apart once he tries to execute that on the runway, through the press, and on the racks. as a designer, he hasn't done that either. only time will tell if he falls victim to being simply "of the moment" but many designers who ALSO capitalized on this market -- from tom ford to marc jacobs to stella mccartney to dsquared2 -- proved their critics wrong with their longevitity as well.

 

[mikeijames]

Oh, I agree 100% .

What Dercanin designs for Balmain, or rather what he designs and propagates as 'a signature' for Balmain, is anyting but and cannot be compared to Chanels tweed jackets and Prada's nylon bags.

Besides, there is a clear distinction between a signature and a trend. A signature lives on. A trend does not. These accentuated shoulders and bedazzled dresses and the general 80's pastiche Dercanin has created for Balmain will look awfully outdated in seasons to come. They will not live on in the same way the Chanel boucle jacket has.

why? just because you say so? people STILL carry around prada nylon bags that cost hundreds -- sometimes thousands -- of dollars! it doesn't mean she doesn't have a point of view because she continues to use nylon. everyone from jcpenny to st. john have co-opted the suiting look popularized by chanel. it doesn't mean that karl suddenly strips his runway of that signature. just because the balmain look has held the fashion world in a thrall for the past couple of years doesn't somehow delegitimize its appeal. sure, the trend will pass, but balmain still has a lot to prove as epitomized by this collection. did you honestly think we'd see suiting separates and brocade outerwear from the designer who gave us bleached, destroyed skinny jeans and sequined harem pants?

in the end, only time will tell whether this look lives on, but people have predicted the fall of the house of balmain for two years strong now and this collection shows NO SIGN that this train is about to let up. i predict that we'll see most mass market fast-fashion retailers rushing to incorporate this look than ones we've seen at other major houses. that's not to be overlooked. fashion is about innovation, yes, but it's also about creating a look people want to wear.

Also, this collection is terribly démodé. All Dercanin has done is taken the idea of Baroque and embroidered accordingly to the same silhouettes he has been showing for many seasons now. Many designers have done this before, in Milan particularly. This is nothing new and nothing interesting. I dont know why people are swooning over this, when we have seen this many times before at less popular maisons.

and all those other houses did was the exact same thing you're accusing balmain of with such derision. carolina herrera applied brocade to her existing silhouettes in 2006. prada applied brocade to her existing silhouettes in 2002. what's great about this collection is that it takes brocade and layers it with the utter sexpot lustiness we associate with balmain. that's something we haven't really seen brocade used for in the past.