Balenciaga

For his first Balenciaga show staged outside of Paris, Demna headed to New York, where he took over the New York Stock Exchange and put on a show that was as much a commentary on modern capitalist culture as it was a reiteration and expansion of Demna-isms—exaggerated classics and elevated streetwear—that have turned the brand into a billion-dollar juggernaut. On the trading floor, with screens flashing the names and logos of mega-companies like Coke, Twitter, Visa and Disney, Demna sent out a collection that built on where his first haute couture outing left off. But where that collection was serene, monastic almost, this one had a menacing undertone to it. The first look set the mood: A strong-shouldered, floor-length coat worn with a giant pussybow and a latex gimp mask—all in black. It was American Psycho meets American Horror Story. Demna kept up the fetish bodywear underpinnings all the way through, lending a dark, Lynchian thrill to looks both corporate and casual—tuxedos and suits, trench coats and cocoon wraps, and evening gowns in silks and sequins. They were worn with padded pumps and derbies blown up to clownish proportions, further adding to the deliberately unsettling quality of the proceedings.