BALMAIN SHOW CHER WAS A SUCCESS
IF I could turn back time... I would go back to the beginning of this week and beg, borrow or steal an invitation to Balmain’s runway presentation on Wednesday.
The fashion house loves to pull in some of the biggest names in the world to sprinkle a little glitz on proceedings, but creative director Olivier Rousteing outdid himself this time.
He had a true icon close his Paris Fashion Week show. The one and only Cher.
In a clear two-fingered salute to ‘age-appropriate’ dressing, the 76-year-old singer/actress/ activist and all-round legend strutted down the catwalk in a sharp-shouldered spandex bodysuit and high wedge shoes.
The Oscar winner was joined by Rousteing as he took his bows.
Speaking to Women’s Wear Daily after the show, the designer gushed: “Cher has been a daring pioneer, a true trailblazer, for over six decades, never slowing down, always pulling us along with her, as she courageously marches forward.
“Style icon doesn’t come close to describing her achievement of defining more than a half-century’s worth of fashion’s trends.”
In an era so dominated by influencers, reality TV ‘stars’ and ‘nepo babies’ (that’s the new TikTok term for the offspring of celebrities feted by fashion and the media), how refreshing to see a woman who has not only earned her place in the spotlight but carved out a path for others to follow, taking centre stage.
Without Cher there would arguably be no Madonna, no Beyoncé and no Rihanna.
In fact, when last month someone called Dua Lipa, ‘the Cher of our generation’ on Twitter, the superstar wasted no time in responding, “How many yrs are in a generation”.
Then again, the hitmaker has never been slow with a one liner. My personal favourite of hers being: “The trouble with some women is that they get all excited about nothing – and then marry him.”
Cher’s appearance in the French capital came just a few months after she launched a collaboration with fashion house Versace for Pride month called ‘Chersace’. What’s not to love about that?
About 15 years ago or so I was lucky enough to see Cher in concert on her farewell tour.
Actually it turned out to be more of a ‘see you soon’ tour. She was back on stage just over a decade later, but it was one of the most fun nights of my life. She would have been about 60 then and still rocked a mesh all-in-one.
The Mermaids star tweeted of the Balmain presentation – ‘probably best fashion show ever.’ With Cher on stage, you better Believe it.
■ Still on the subject of A-list superstars. Actress-turnedwellness mogul Gwyneth Paltrow celebrated hitting the big 5-0 this week by releasing a set of pictures of herself naked and painted in gold a la the Bond classic Goldfinger.
To be fair, I’d expect nothing less from the Shakespeare in Love star and vaginal steaming advocate.
Just in case we didn’t get the message from the stunning snaps, they were accompanied by an essay on her Goop site where the mum-of-two revealed: “I feel so good turning 50, and this is about expressing that sense of energy and optimism that I’m experiencing.” I know that Gwynnie is a divisive figure whose sometimes ‘woo-woo’ ways don’t always land with everyone but – full disclosure – I love her and with six years ‘til my own half-century I’m declaring her latest stunt #fiftygoals. Knowing me, I’ll probably get gold paint all over the furniture.