Balmain's Christophe Decarnin in Mental Hospital *Update* Has Officially Left Balmain

[agee]

Ugh, I feel bad that Decarnin's personal medical issue has been exposed, at least with Galliano he acted out in public. @ TPTB not doing a better job handling communications regarding this matter. I wish Mr. Decarnin the best when it comes to getting well.

 

[LUXXX]

Vanity Fair is writing the expose on all this dramz as we speak (hopefully) -- fashion week gossip hasn't been this openly scandalous in years. And usually it just involved a model getting arrested or beating someone up.

 

[mademoiselle_]

No wonder why F/W collection was a dissapointment

 

[educo]

I have a feeling this is just the beginning of the fashion industry's mess coming to light. Holy sh*t!

 

[purplethistle]

^ I do think we may be on the verge of all the secrets seething beneath the surface to come to light.

It's really unfortunate that Decarnin has health issues. I however, do not think its something to be 'ashamed' of that the publicists to make something up if that is that case. The arts have always been known to have artists struggling with their various demons.

 

[Party_Vixen]

Wow did not see this coming at all.

Really sad news. Like others have mentioned here mental illnesses/disorders are not to be taken lightly. I'm glad he sought help.

 

[á la Balenciaga]

im not trying to be mean, but he always came across as a guy with issues.
i guess he had them.

get well.

 

[mikeijames]

except for those with outsized personalities -- think tom ford, miuccia prada, karl lagerfeld, etc -- the world of fashion remains quite a taxing one. it's why the leaders in industry have such infamous reputations surrounding them. these people make themselves easy targets for mental illness and substance abuse because they offer up something so personal and deep from within themselves only to have people either write it off as "not good enough" or "seen it before." the pressures in designing on this level remain too much for the average person to endure. most people don't have the weight of millions of dollars in sales and the livelihoods of hundreds depending on their creative whim. and while it's easy for us in the blogosphere to just denigrate every collection that comes out, one must realize that this stuff does take a personal toll.

decarnin always appeared fragile from the start. in every profile i've read or heard about him, he never put himself out there publicly in a way like marc jacobs or stella mccartney or any other. he expressed himself through his work. and for that work to get such rough reception even as it sells spectacularly has to only add to whatever conflict he had going on internally.

with that said, i seriously doubt that the real story is nearly as tidy as the snippets of gossip we have received. we saw balmain hit a creative high last fall/winter and fall quite spectacularly come spring/summer. i suspect the behind the scenes pressures to re-create some of balmain's blockbuster seasons may have come into play here.

 

[agee]

It's really unfortunate that Decarnin has health issues. I however, do not think its something to be 'ashamed' of that the publicists to make something up if that is that case. The arts have always been known to have artists struggling with their various demons.

I completely agree that mental health issues are not something to be ashamed of, but I do think that it is a private matter and it is the prerogative of the person in question when and if to make the matter public, especially if there was no acting out in public as was the case with Galliano.

 

[MsCrow]

^ I do think we may be on the verge of all the secrets seething beneath the surface to come to light.

About time too. Yes designers are there to make a business work but they are there for their creativity and we all know how fragile that state of mind can be. In my ideal world there would be a refocus on a balance between creativity and business because for too long the likes of LVMH have been sucking up designers to churn out profitable collections with little regard for the human nature of the industry.

 

[educo]

Vanity Fair is writing the expose on all this dramz as we speak (hopefully) -- fashion week gossip hasn't been this openly scandalous in years. And usually it just involved a model getting arrested or beating someone up.

I've got to read this!

 

[Squizree]

Holy crap.

 

[ohmyy]

hope he recovers!

 

[brooksie]

Carine, Galliano, and now Decarnin crashing out all in the space of 3 months or so?! There's DEF something amiss in Paris specifically and fashion in general. I wonder what's going on in Paris' fashion culture that's causing so much shade? It seems primarily a Paris thing so far.

These designers have definitely had the expectations ratcheted up on them in the past few years. They're expected to trot out innovative and relevant collections/accessories every 3 months, please the editors AND the interwebz, and be able to lay golden eggs each time. All this so people can have more stuff to buy that most can't really afford. The speed at which all this has happened had left the whole industry in flux really, but the designers have to deal w/ it most intimately.

While I wish nothing but good for M. Decarnin, maybe this whole disastrous Paris Fashion Week had to happen and may ultimately do some good. Fashion really needs to look at itself on so many levels and really consider what's happening. The industry has been in denial about so many things for so long....maybe this is the "come to Jesus" moment long looming?

 

[Label Basher]

Whether he's in hospital or just at home resting I hope he gets better. My thoughts go out to him.

 

[chloehandbags]

except for those with outsized personalities -- think tom ford, miuccia prada, karl lagerfeld, etc -- the world of fashion remains quite a taxing one.

Yes, although, I think even Tom Ford has been known to struggle?

There is an artist's temperament within Ford, too - he just does a very good job of concealing it with all the showmanship!

I think what you need to be, to be able to survive, is slightly cold and you also need to have the ability to detach completely?

That's what Karl has, IMO. Despite his virtual omnipotence in the fashion world, he still almost seems to be a perpetual observer of fashion, looking in; rather than allowing himself to be engulfed by it.

Even more than Karl, I think Miuccia Prada is very analytical and almost scientific about the whole thing - you get the feeling she almost concocts fashion in a test tube, rather than throwing herself and her emotions into the maelstrom.

Karl and Miuccia's antithesis would be YSL - who lived and breathed fashion and who was, regularly, consumed by it.

 

[educo]

^^^ well said.

 

[MON]

That`s why the F/W `11 collection wasn`t that great. What`s happening to Paris Fashion. Shake-ups, breakdowns & axing?

I hope Christopher gets back soon

 

[brooksie]

Both Lagerfeld and Prada came to prominence rather late in their lives/careers. Both were around 50 (give or take) when the media glare came calling. Decarnin, like Galliano/McQueen/and many before and current w/ him, came to be in the spotlight VERY early in his career. This makes a VERY big difference when comparing these people examining why they (Lagerfeld and Prada) seem to handle this better than others. (I have my doubts about these two personally, but I'll assume they are handling this better for the sake of the discussion) Not only are these folks all individuals that bring whatever baggage they have to the table, they also are at different levels of maturity. Both Lagerfeld and Prada had the time and privacy to develop themselves personally/professionally and make mistakes outside of the media gaze. Most designers that came to editorial prominence in the 90s forward didn't have that luxury. They were bombarded w/ (mostly) undeserved praise and (mostly) too harsh criticism before they had any real perspective and the maturity to weed thru the fashion BS machine. IOW they lacked the advantages that Karl and Miuccia enjoyed in their youth.

Frankly I never thought Decarnin (along w/ a few more of these new "sensations" we get every few years) was ready for "prime time". He seemed more of an editor's hope and desire to play kingmaker than a true design prodigy IMHO. They were being pushed too far and too fast to feed the fashion world's insatiable need to have the "new" and the young no matter how raw they are (even if genuinely talented)...not to mention the pushing of the untalented as well just to fill pages and stores w/.......... stuff.

This trend all reminds of me of the days of Christian Francis Roth, young Isaac Mizrahi, and Stephen Sprouse....should we be surprised when these young sensations crash and burn under the circumstances?! Young talent needs to "season" before being made a main dish. Decarnin is just the latest (tho it's become far too frequent in these times) to prove the old truism, "you don't serve a wine before it's time".

 

[Dkammern]

^^ Lagerfeld has been in fashion since the age of 17! and, like he says, the exposure to the media was not a big pressure then, but the conditions in which the whole industry worked were quite frankly "sordid". Long long long long hours of work, painstaking, dictatorial and so on.
We can't just say "poor designers"! they know what they get into, and they sure are willing to accept all the additional perks that come with the job. Galliano lives in a mansion in the center of Paris for fashion's sake!! Lavish inspirational trips to India, high salaries, assistants everywhere...
they should perhaps invest more in their mental health and less in the palpable advantages of their job