Balmain F/W 2008.09 Paris

[the-smiths]

He's been working with sex for quite a while in his collections. The super short hems and body conscious dresses ooze erotic appeal but in earlier collections they held a certain amount of sophistication that made it bearable and even intriguing. This, however, along with with last season lacks any of the cleverness and skill you'd expect from a Paris based designer.

I like that's he's establishing a code and a wardrobe of key pieces that make up the brand. Each season he reinterprets them for the Balmain client, on paper this sounds really exciting, far more interesting than the designers who flip flop every season never giving their customer a sense of definition or identity. But my doubts swell when I see this customer in all her bad taste and lack of self-awareness. This Balmain woman is not so introspective, I imagine her thoughts being mostly banal and shallow, and I don't think she's going anywhere where she would need to make anyone consider anything but her wealth and the clothes she buys with it in order to exude a crude and unrelenting aura of raunch and sex.

That said I could totally see someone wearing this with a distilled sense of irony and looking quite chic.

why does she have to be introspective, why does she even have to have thought? Why even bother overthinking fashion and readign into everything like it's a piece of art. It's not...

ITS JUST CUTE CLOTHES.

I, for one, am loving this collection.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

why does she have to be introspective, why does she even have to have thought?

Think about what you said. Why does anyone have to have thought?

Yes, these are just clothes, but you know what? Some clothes are better than others. Part of the reason I'm on this board is to discuss and be challenged on why.

 

[the-smiths]

Think about what you said. Why does anyone have to have thought?

Yes, these are just clothes, but you know what? Some clothes are better than others. Part of the reason I'm on this board is to discuss and be challenged on why.

I always think about what I say. You're fairly good at reading into things tho, I thought you would've understood my point.

Some clothes ARE better than others, but your completely scathing review tells me that there is something beyond just a dislike of flash/trash...Perhaps IM reading too much into things now...

 

[Deleted member 7575]

your completely scathing review tells me that there is something beyond just a dislike of flash/trash

Absolutely. It's two things, I don't mind flash and trash but i like it to be compelling. I'd sight Christopher Kane's MA graduation collection as an example of it well done, it goes beyond the obvious and brings something new to the table. So for me, this Balmain collection is a very lazy effort.

Second, I was an advocate of Christophe Decarnin's work at Balmain until these last couple collections which I've found so far flung from what he had been doing (which was also flashy and trashy but still quite nice). I'm extremely let down by him.

 

[fouroclock]

I am afraid to say this but I have fallen out of love with Balmain. I miss Decarnin's old collections, with the embellishments.

 

[the-smiths]

Absolutely. It's two things, I don't mind flash and trash but i like it to be compelling. I'd sight Christopher Kane's MA graduation collection as an example of it well done, it goes beyond the obvious and brings something new to the table. So for me, this Balmain collection is a very lazy effort.

Second, I was an advocate of Christophe Decarnin's work at Balmain until these last couple collections which I've found so far flung from what he had been doing (which was also flashy and trashy but still quite nice). I'm extremely let down by him.

We're on two different sides of the spectrum, I found all Chris Kane to be incredibly tasteless, hideous and most of all derivitive. I disagree that something new was brought to the table, fake Herve Leger w/ a bit of neon lace and one of those belts from a shopping cart, oh wow, groundbreaking.

To be really frank, this is the same stuff he showed last fall, it's just this season he used animal prints on fabric and on chainmail. I dont think an animal print constitutes bad taste...

 

[augustus]

I don't hate the collection but I seriously wonder if this justify the price tag?

 

[Deleted member 7575]

We're on two different sides of the spectrum, I found all Chris Kane to be incredibly tasteless, hideous and most of all derivitive. I disagree that something new was brought to the table, fake Herve Leger w/ a bit of neon lace and one of those belts from a shopping cart, oh wow, groundbreaking.

To be really frank, this is the same stuff he showed last fall, it's just this season he used animal prints on fabric and on chainmail. I dont think an animal print constitutes bad taste...

ok

But I'd much rather see a revival of Alaia esque technique with a youthful twist than Cavalli 5 years ago.

 

[the-smiths]

ok

But I'd much rather see a revival of Alaia esque technique with a youthful twist than Cavalli 5 years ago.

Alaia doesnt need to be revived, he's still around an kickin' and way better than Chris Kane, and as far as designers who know how to do body concious there is still Herve Leroux, Gaultier, Westwood...All head and shoulders about Kane. Cavalli could never be compared to Balmain under Decarnin

 

[Jane Loves Marc]

^i see absoutely no resemblance to Cavalli in any way, shape, or form either.
usually decarnin walks the line between trampy and classy in a way that is really interesting and incredibly sexy, i just think that he missed the mark with this collection, which is forgiveable, he hasn't had a bad season since he began at balmain, but he's basically been reworking the same look, which isnt a bad thing, just this season he seems to be trying to tweaking it a bit...and i'm not so crazy about it.

 

[Betty_B]

Typical Balmain - short, flashy, detailed, daring.. I like it. It certaily looks good on the models.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

usually decarnin walks the line between trampy and classy in a way that is really interesting and incredibly sexy, i just think that he missed the mark with this collection

Agreed, and I stated this twice already.

Although, I think last season was not so good either. I'm thinking Balmain has found their target woman and it's the same one that Cavalli has entertained for years.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

Alaia doesnt need to be revived, he's still around an kickin' and way better than Chris Kane, and as far as designers who know how to do body concious there is still Herve Leroux, Gaultier, Westwood...All head and shoulders about Kane. Cavalli could never be compared to Balmain under Decarnin

ok

 

[the-smiths]

ok

I was trying to hold a mature conversation...guess not.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

I was trying to hold a mature conversation...guess not.

I mean, It's my fault I brought him up, but I don't mean to get into a debate about Christopher Kane and his work in this thread.

 

[Starry]

Balmain is always the first show I am looking forward to in Paris.
I like it this time as usual. Very trashy, but I still like it so much. I think Christhophe does do the same thing season after season just to remain his signature in Balmain, and evey season I found something new from him. And more and more attention was paid to him and Balmain under his control.

Can't wait to see the complete show on style.com!

 

[lemeray]

How dissappointing, a few black dresses are nice and the black blazers but it's pretty tacky especially the zebra prints.

 

[MJCouture]

This is really unthinkably tacky, and done in an incredibly unintellectual way. Its like Kate Moss for topshop done in slightly better materials. What a complete disappointment!

 

[Betty_B]

Tacky, Tacky, Tacky, Tacky, Tacky - it seems like that's the most used word in this forum.
Seriously what isn't tacky to you guys?
It is what it is. Jesus.

 

[ilaughead]

^We could say gaudy and tasteless instead.