Tentacl Ventricl
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someone's ears were burning
Balmain S/S 11 Paris
- Thread starter rockangel
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Balmain is always one of my favorites. Decarnin pulls off the rock chic look effortlessly and the models always
look so fierce and powerful on the runway. I admit, there's not a whole lot of variation from season to season,
but what do you expect to see from Christophe? Flowery chiffon dresses? I don't think so.
I'd also like to add that Christophe is definitely no Galliano, he designs wearable separates that any 18-30
something year old can wear and look amazing in. This isn't couture, it's edgy, sexy, easy to wear clothing.
Anna's looks were my favorites from the show. So chic!
style.it
look so fierce and powerful on the runway. I admit, there's not a whole lot of variation from season to season,
but what do you expect to see from Christophe? Flowery chiffon dresses? I don't think so.
I'd also like to add that Christophe is definitely no Galliano, he designs wearable separates that any 18-30
something year old can wear and look amazing in. This isn't couture, it's edgy, sexy, easy to wear clothing.
Anna's looks were my favorites from the show. So chic!
style.it
every time i look at a balmain collection, i keep thinking to myself that this is what a womens collection from hedi slimane would have looked like!
i wish he would put as much detail into the mens collections! i'm loving these looks.
i wish he would put as much detail into the mens collections! i'm loving these looks.
I'll be frank...
While I've always felt that Balmain sells for far more than it's worth, is disgustingly hyped up, completely simple minded from an aesthetic standpoint and ultimately pretty overrated I can honestly say that the clothes have never actually looked cheap to me. Tacky, yes. Vulgar, kinda. Obnoxious, mostly. But while I've never felt that the clothes matched their price tag they still looked like designer level pieces for the most part. I can't say that about this collection. I certainly don't think that punk can't be used as an inspiration for high fashion, in fact I've seen some really cool things done with the references (hello Versace safety pins), but this collection wasn't actually the result of any inspiration. These are trashed, dirty, sloppy, crude looking clothes that cost god knows how much and look absolutely no different from the real thing. More than anything I just find this collection lazy, although what do I know? The way some people talk you'd think they've never seen a safety pin before in their life.
While I've always felt that Balmain sells for far more than it's worth, is disgustingly hyped up, completely simple minded from an aesthetic standpoint and ultimately pretty overrated I can honestly say that the clothes have never actually looked cheap to me. Tacky, yes. Vulgar, kinda. Obnoxious, mostly. But while I've never felt that the clothes matched their price tag they still looked like designer level pieces for the most part. I can't say that about this collection. I certainly don't think that punk can't be used as an inspiration for high fashion, in fact I've seen some really cool things done with the references (hello Versace safety pins), but this collection wasn't actually the result of any inspiration. These are trashed, dirty, sloppy, crude looking clothes that cost god knows how much and look absolutely no different from the real thing. More than anything I just find this collection lazy, although what do I know? The way some people talk you'd think they've never seen a safety pin before in their life.
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I very much agree with your point about the quality of materials and craftsmanship of the Balmain clothes, which is of the highest level. No matter how much detail a HQ photo shows, one has to touch these clothes, try them on, examine them from close to see this to the full, it's not the normal gap between pictures and reality that generally applies (more or less) to high end labels. And of course, there's the *Balmain hype/exclusivity* markup on top of that, and there you have your final price.
Yet, I'm not so sure any more about how much Balmain actually sells. I've been suspicious about the actual sales volume since last spring for a number of reasons, but when the F/W collection hit the shops this August, I started becoming more certain of my suspicions: the prices in a number of the collection's pieces, notably the more "classic" ones (e.g. blazers) is almost on par as with other high end designers, thus becoming almost affordable for the occasional high end consumer who saves to get something special! And all this without the quality falling!!!
I can't help but wonder whether the economic reality is catching up with the brand's positioning.
Okay, now I love what Balmain did the last four seasons. It was a very nice build up to that look, but this is "nothing new." He is a very talented guy, and I hope he blows it out of the water next season. This is a top brand now, he brought BALMAIN back.
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balmain1914
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Nothing new in this collection.
I know it's under RECESSIONS, but no single evening dress? Where's the original Balmain?
I know it's under RECESSIONS, but no single evening dress? Where's the original Balmain?
Tentacl Ventricl
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Interesting insights Almudena.
It could be couldn't it that despite dropping the price point for the blazers they still didn't sell because the imagined core customer for that type of piece - perhaps the banker/banker's wife who likes a touch of edge - has frozen her spending at places like Browns etc.
Hence the market Balmain is left with, the customer who hasn't been affected by the credit crunch, ie the teen/20's rock heiress, footballer's wives maybe, etc, naturally migrates to the no smart, no glam, one-dimensional rock chick look. And so that's what Decarnin's served up for SS11.
My large post on the previous page was in part playing devil's advocate. I return to the point they know what's been selling. Maybe the pieces from the 5 SS10 looks I characterised as just 'punk' were the ones that, given economic reality, were the ones that flew out the door. So for SS11 you weight the balance of the collection there.
So that therefore, whilst this collection does represent the purest expression yet of the Decarnin way, it also coincides with what what's left of their customer base wants and that commercially Decarnin does continue to get it very right. For now.
I do wish to see something different from Balmain instead of just studs thrown on jackets and safety-pinning pieces of cotton together. Don't get me wrong, this is very Balmain, and I do like some of the individual pieces like the jackets (as usual) but just studs and safety pins and all that is just... overdone.
You are making some great points here.
Yet, I can't help but wonder whether this brand repositioning (if there was ever such a thing, that is) was attempted in order to attract a new customer (e.g. banker/banker's wife with en edge as you have brilliantly described) or in order to replace their core customer base that was eluding them, because of *repetition fatigue* maybe? I mean to say, wouldn't the 20's socialite/heiress and the footballer's wife (and their stylists) who has sported this style for a couple of years already, try to show her fashion savvy-ness (...well...) by moving away from a style that has been extensively copied and worn by every teenage girl, and a brand that all her peers have already exhausted?
In the second case, this latest collection will face a serious problem.
There is a certain psychology to purchasing luxury goods where the buyer is attracted to the statement looks but then actually buys the accessories and or classic items. As much as people in these parts like to poo poo the celebrity connection to fashion, it matters that Beyonce and Rihanna are seen in these clothes and that Agyness Deyn and Demi Moore appears on the covers of the magazine (well DemiAnja) wearing these looks. The danger in creating a collection (well really styling a collection) around just the stuff that sells without statement pieces is that fundamentally many of the buyers are looking for a pair of leather pants or some other item of clothing or accessory and may not care who the designer is as long as the label is pretigious and "hawt," so the question is can Balmain and Decarnin sustain their hawtness putting out these kinds of clothes. To me, if it is a one time deal, perhaps because the white bustier is going to get editorial play and Decarnin has friends in high places, but at some point the dude is going to have to do some actual designing.
ETA:
In fairness to him, Decarnin has designed before and more importantly set trends, so his success is not accidental.
ETA:
In fairness to him, Decarnin has designed before and more importantly set trends, so his success is not accidental.
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To my opinion, when you are he designer of a luxury brand, it's a big mistake to show a collection which remind too much a previous show from a mid-market designer (i.e. isabel marant last show)... Even if you created at the beginning this kind of "style", you have to be a forerunner and not the contrary.
D
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Well it's no surprise that Decarnin and Isabel Marant work with the same stylist, is it?
The banality of this collection could just as easily be explained by laziness. Many many houses take note of the commercial necessities of a runway's marketing power, and they know how to provide a directional newsworthy collection AND get the girls salivating. Designers show only a small portion of what they actually put in stores, they have to create the aspiration, the commercial needs do not excuse this. This was ill-balanced, even for Balmain.
Yes, Diesel surely is the proper reference. And while these clothes may be made at a marginally hire quality (I've never been personally impressed with Balmain's fabrications and construction) the result is that now it has the cache of a shopping mall in Atlanta. Not really the thing you buy a Paris label for.
Anyways, fashion is Fickle (and so is the Balmain woman, looks like she'll be jumping ship to Pucci quite soon), what's next?
The banality of this collection could just as easily be explained by laziness. Many many houses take note of the commercial necessities of a runway's marketing power, and they know how to provide a directional newsworthy collection AND get the girls salivating. Designers show only a small portion of what they actually put in stores, they have to create the aspiration, the commercial needs do not excuse this. This was ill-balanced, even for Balmain.
Yes, Diesel surely is the proper reference. And while these clothes may be made at a marginally hire quality (I've never been personally impressed with Balmain's fabrications and construction) the result is that now it has the cache of a shopping mall in Atlanta. Not really the thing you buy a Paris label for.
Anyways, fashion is Fickle (and so is the Balmain woman, looks like she'll be jumping ship to Pucci quite soon), what's next?
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