Olivier Theyskens - Designer

[tricotineacetat]

Photography by Thomas Deschamps of Theyskens' recent designs - Which very much capture the style of his sketches, as well as highlighting the painterly quality in his patchwork creations.

 

[tricotineacetat]

One of the things I will always hold in high regard of him is the fact that, much like with Rick Owens, Narciso Rodriguez or Jil Sander, his style of cutting is instantly recognizable to me.

 

[MulletProof]

Another wedding dress for another socialite...

Vogue Latin America February 2026

Did some stalking on ig and it's just so depressing 😟.. of course I'm sure he's living with relatively less stress and getting flown to places by these super wealthy families and getting some good money from these wedding gigs but he is just so much more than that. The fact that the bride didn't even know who he was (which you can tell by the plain-a*s dress she asked for) and just took her mother-in-law's instruction and that woman also looks like a nightmare (friends with the Vogue EIC and probably donated $omething to get the daughter in law featured + squeezing herself in the business ventures of the couple lol). Ugh.. come back to us, Olivier! he doesn't even know that so many people here would do his PR for free and hype him up to potential customers lol.

 

[tricotineacetat]

Did some stalking on ig and it's just so depressing 😟.. of course I'm sure he's living with relatively less stress and getting flown to places by these super wealthy families and getting some good money from these wedding gigs but he is just so much more than that. The fact that the bride didn't even know who he was (which you can tell by the plain-a*s dress she asked for) and just took her mother-in-law's instruction and that woman also looks like a nightmare (friends with the Vogue EIC and probably donated $omething to get the daughter in law featured + squeezing herself in the business ventures of the couple lol). Ugh.. come back to us, Olivier! he doesn't even know that so many people here would do his PR for free and hype him up to potential customers lol.

Unless they plan to stretch the teasing of his new joined venture BOLORIA endlessly (which they kinda already did…), we should hear about it soon, likely during women's PAP in Paris. Until then, I remain reluctant to form an opinion.

One of the things he needs to figure out is a means to connect with an audience. The photos by Thomas Deschamps I posted show once more (after the already successful trilogy of static presentations) that it's totally possible to create fabulous imagery with his clothes even without a big runway show and a star-studded cast.

He could use that vehicle to keep people talking about him even when there is no collection.

 

[Cocteau Stone]

lol “I don’t like these at all but I could see myself in some” is so cute, I love it.

I get it though, of course not everything I like in fashion I would wear either. I’m not sure I’ve experienced the reverse though, where I don’t like the fashion but could see it in my wardrobe.

I can see where @Kanzai is coming from. The overall proposition I care very little for though as some individual pieces I can see it working in my own wardrobe too. I wouldn’t get it now, at full price or anything like that but if I came across it I wouldn’t turn my nose up at it either.

It’s a very diluted and student friendly take visually. Neither here nor there. A shame but also expected as harsh as that sounds.

 

[tricotineacetat]

His background as a womenswear designer / dressmaker comes through whenever he has touched menswear or menswear-inspired clothes, much in the way that you can see in the womenswear of people like Hedi Slimane or Helmut Lang that it's not very 'curvy' in the way a garment is proportioned - And by that I don't only speak about a less shapely torso but an overall attention to detailing which is very different in the cut and make of menswear.

Olivier does not have that background and it showed at Azzaro - If you mind to compare the balanced pocket and button placement, as well as the exacting, sharp points of a peak lapel in a suit from Hedi, Lucas Ossendrijver at Lanvin or Stefano Pilati at Zegna and compare that with Olivier's (let alone the preview images of the BOLORIA men's looks) I think it's easily recognizable.

Olivier's repertoire broadened a lot the moment he hired a designated modeliste/premier d'atelier for 'flou' at Rochas in 2004, that's why the AW'05 collection suddenly had a lot of Bias-Cut that was before unseen at Rochas. Perhaps he needs some time working with someone strictly coming from menswear tailoring to up his game on that front.

 

[LadyJunon]

I hope they announce an actual launch soon...

 

[dancv]

One of the things he needs to figure out is a means to connect with an audience.

I think this is the main issue for him, when he “returned” with those intricate patchwork dresses and a few personalities were the pieces for public events it was still not enough to create any real buzz.

He is always going to be a favourite for us fashion nerds, but the current fashion sphere doesn’t seem to be that interested is exquisite garments or just plain excellency.

 

[susseinmcswanny]

There's just no money. In theory a rich person out there could dump money into him or someone else talented for the sake of culture, and some people would get to enjoy the creative outcomes, but it'll always come down to the interest of an ROI. There is no culture to support the old way of doing things. I wish I could see more of him and get to "participate", but what he did with his last few collections feels right. Those clothes seemed to only make it out to close friends, which to me makes his vision and design feel more meaningful to the nth degree. Which is a really good reminder to let everyone know we do have the ability to LOG OFF. Being a part of the ... I don't know what to call it ... fashion industry organism? isn't the only way to experience fashion.

 

[tricotineacetat]

I think this is the main issue for him, when he “returned” with those intricate patchwork dresses and a few personalities were the pieces for public events it was still not enough to create any real buzz.

He is always going to be a favourite for us fashion nerds, but the current fashion sphere doesn’t seem to be that interested is exquisite garments or just plain excellency.

I would disagree - Those three collections were very effective for him on a cost/value relation, quite a few of those looks ended up on the right people and they really did add a new vocabulary to his style as a designer. They got people talking in a way that his previous RTW shows and Azzaro collections (awkwardly timed during Covid) did not.

What I meant with 'connecting with an audience' was figuring out a way to use social media to his advantage - Perhaps by providing more close-ups or playing with other media like film or photography to put his fashion into a different context.

A lot of people on this forum expressed the criticism that his own brand's runway shows did not live up to previous ones at Rochas or Ricci, particularly mentioning anonymous casts and improvised staging - I'd like to say in return that he managed instead to produce two monographic exhibitions and publications ("She walks on beauty" published by Rizzoli is one of the most beautiful fashion publications, very much worth buying) centered around his body of work during those years. Such a privilege is usually something reserved for designers at a much later chapter in their career, and shows that his creations are considered important contributors to the history of 21st century fashion.

 

[tricotineacetat]

There's just no money. In theory a rich person out there could dump money into him or someone else talented for the sake of culture, and some people would get to enjoy the creative outcomes, but it'll always come down to the interest of an ROI. There is no culture to support the old way of doing things. I wish I could see more of him and get to "participate", but what he did with his last few collections feels right. Those clothes seemed to only make it out to close friends, which to me makes his vision and design feel more meaningful to the nth degree. Which is a really good reminder to let everyone know we do have the ability to LOG OFF. Being a part of the ... I don't know what to call it ... fashion industry organism? isn't the only way to experience fashion.

Thank you for saying that, this is a thought most often overlooked as another layer of engagement with fashion - Something that blockbuster fashion exhibitions like 'Savage Beauty' by Alexander McQueen proved - That museum shows centered around fashion can reach audiences much wider than the core of paying customers.

It's important that we do not forget about the cultural value of fashion at a time when the industry is becoming increasingly more corporate, rather than artistic.

 

[rivegaucheface]

Photography by Thomas Deschamps of Theyskens' recent designs - Which very much capture the style of his sketches, as well as highlighting the painterly quality in his patchwork creations.

god that pink dress is beautiful. like a watercolor painting of stained glass.

 

[tourbillions]

Unfortunately he has had many opportunities to return but I think his name as a brand is just not strong enough for the wider audience. Even then, what most of the big names have done, he could not do to the brands given to him. For example NG at balenciaga, Tisci at Givenchy, Alber at Lanvin or Mcqueen at Mcqueen etc. Maybe he is poor in commercializing his work.

 

[Kanzai]

Aesthetically, I’ve never really been a fan of Theyskens. His work leans too much into tragic romanticism, historical references, and that gothic ethereal mood. Still, I tend to prefer him way more than designers like Azzedine or Alber Elbaz, even if they are somewhat similar. I haven’t kept up with what’s going on with him nowadays and I’m too lazy to dig into it, but I do hope he finds his voice again and comes back strong. At the end of the day, he’s talent and he deserves the support.

Theyskens is a very beautiful name imo.

 

[tourbillions]

he can always try for theater costumes, like lacroix. His last collection was already giving queen of the night

 

[MulletProof]

^ I would love to see his work on stage.. not theater though, he needs ballet.. Giselle by Theyskens, or pushing it here with my delusion, The Awakening of Flora. Link him in, @tricotineacetat !

 

[Lola701]

Unfortunately he has had many opportunities to return but I think his name as a brand is just not strong enough for the wider audience. Even then, what most of the big names have done, he could not do to the brands given to him. For example NG at balenciaga, Tisci at Givenchy, Alber at Lanvin or Mcqueen at Mcqueen etc. Maybe he is poor in commercializing his work.

When Herve Leger lost his own brand, after Guy Laroche, he launched his own brand…Herve.H.Leroux.
It was quite successful. RTW de luxe, mostly about dresses daywear to eveningwear with his signature switching from bandage to plissés very Madame Gres actually.

You can create a wide audience by starting small, concentrating on one thing, designing very specific things for a very specific clientele and people will follow.

There’s a place for Olivier in fashion. It’s just not the place it was before, that his die hard fans wants but it can be still relevant.
It’s OK to be a « special occasion » kind of designer…Elie Saab build a fortune out of it.

If Julie de Libran can operate in HC, so can Olivier.

The problem with Olivier is that he is talented designer who during his peak never had a complete story. Then he went to the US to do whatever so there’s something « inachevé » .

I’ll still perplexed by this new project tbh.

 

[marines]

 

[PDFSD]

happy for his exposure but this is too basic to get people talking