South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
On Paris runway, Rousteing celebrates 10 years at Balmain
PARIS — Naomi Campbell and Carla Bruni returned to the Paris runway to feverish screams to help Olivier Rousteing celebrate his 10-year anniversary at the creative helm of Balmain.
Thousands of camerasnapping guests — mostly from the general public — crammed inside the concert complex La Seine Musicale on the outskirts of the city in anticipation of one of the biggest Paris Fashion Week shows this season.
In fact, last week the exuberant designer went far beyond a show. He put on a veritable fashion-music festival over two days, complete with merchandise stands, food and champagne stalls and performances. But it all began by a special homage by one of Rousteing’s celebrity admirers.
Here are some highlights of Spring 2022 collections in the City of Light:
His decade at Balmain
An emotional recorded message by Beyonce opened the evening show, paying tribute to the 36-year-old French designer who she said strove to put diversity at the heart of his fashion.
You “brought a new mindset to help persuade fashion to finally begin to reflect the real true beauty of today’s streets, the beauty that you and your team see a daily on the diverse impressive boulevards and avenues of your beloved Paris,” she said. “For ten years you have been determined to keep pushing that door open... wide open.”
To her smash hit “Halo,” Campbell, 51, and Bruni, 53, strutted out at the high-octane show celebrating a decade of inclusive designs.
Rousteing has been known to use his displays as opportunities to increase awareness. Last year during couture, he notably threw his weight behind the Black Lives Matter movement.
But Wednesday was about celebration. From the stiff, structured ’80s silhouettes of his beginning steps, via slinky gold and metal gowns, the exhaustive collection walked through archives pieces from all the Rousteing years. Hoods, low slung waists, long flapping straps, cinched waists, jewels and those famous giant shoulders featured in scores of looks that merged together encyclopedically. In signature form, the clothes featured on myriad models of all colors, ages and sizes.
Rochas is eclectic
The golden columns of the gilded Mona Bismarck Hotel set the mood for the oft-resplendent Rochas display to a reduced crowd of fashion insiders.
It began with a shimmering ruched gold dress and statement giant gold pirate boots. This was designer Charles de Vilmorin in bold, eclectic form.
The show’s notes spoke of a “strange beauty” and “cinematic vignettes” that this collection would try to evoke. It was successful in that. Rochas’ floating forms, including tumbling parachute skirts, captured an ethereal vibe.
Loose, oversized proportions in skirts and pants, and ubiquitous ruching and ruffles endowed this show with a light, floaty feel. On more than one occasion, spiny detailing gave de Vilmorin’s designs a feel for Dutch couture designer Iris Van Herpen.
However, there were perhaps too many creative ideas here, including a Balkan-style leather tunic dress followed by glam rock boots.
The art of the invitation
Paris Fashion Week is back — after a year of going mainly digital. And with it are the gasoline-guzzling couriers who crisscross Paris to personally deliver ever-elaborate, often handmade, show invitations.
The age of email doesn’t seem to have left much of a mark on the fashion industry’s antiquated system of invitations. Top houses vie for the wackiest or most imaginative idea.
Valentino’s invite featured artistic slides of images of Parisian cafes, models and excerpts of French poetry.
Yves Saint Laurent’s was a black snake leather holster with a huge “YSL” logo weighing it down in gold metal. Embossed inside were the initials of the invited guest, also in gold.