It was Demna’s 52nd haute couture collection and third, once again demonstrating the designer’s confidence in haute couture. And he personally confirms this idea when he says that the creation of clothes in general is the happiest process, and couture for him, first of all, clothes. It is also a link between the past and the present.
As proof of this, the show was opened by a replica of a black velvet dress from the Cristóbal Balenciaga archives. It was demonstrated by Daniel Slavik, who received the dress as a gift from Demna. A year ago, Gvasalia convinced the regular Balenciaga model (from 1964 to 1968) to return to the catwalk, and Slavik admitted that his favorite dress was this one, from the fall-winter 1966 haute couture collection.
Next, we saw a whole galaxy of images, to a greater or lesser degree, emphasizing the course chosen by Gvasalia. Thus, luxurious couture suits in feathers and with a fluffy, fully sequin-embroidered skirt were on a par with business suits (even for men) and oversized stand-up collar bombers, classics of the era. Demna on the mark.
According to Balenciaga’s creative director, if you look closely at the collection, you can find a lot of complicated things and techniques (a big trend). For example, the fur coat is made from linen canvas, which the team hand-painted, while the coats and scarves are “sculpted” in such a way as to convey the effect of the wind in the most natural way possible. At the end of the show, Gvasalia’s idea reached its climax when Eliza Douglas walked the runway in a shiny, chrome but 3D-printed armor with a flared skirt. The designer added that the image reminded him of Joan of Arc and himself. “Because all my life I have suffered for what I wear.”
