BALENCIAGA

Creative director Demna Gvasalia is synonymous with his streetbased cult label, Vetements. His off-kilter aesthetic, rooted in subverting notions of luxury and chic, sees him continuing to play with proportions and materials for the high fashion house. Case in point: the asymmetrically fastened coats that opened the show. They actually unbutton into normal coats with extra volume on one side, a nod to Cristóbal Balenciaga’s signature tailoring in the 1950s. Elsewhere, there were impeccably cut pencil skirts made from car mats, chic clutch bags fashioned from car wing mirrors, and statement earrings repurposed from diamante belt buckles. But lest it all became too 'street,' ladylike heels and good ol’ leopard print kept things classic.