Thursday 14 May 2015

Balenciaga - AW 15 PFW













(all photos from vogue.co.uk)

Balenciaga delivered a beautiful, elegant and classy collection at PFW AW15. Alexander Wang, who began designing for Balenciaga after the abrupt resignation of Nicolas Ghesquière in 2012, showcased a more Balenciaga-appropriate show than he has done in the past, finally pushing his athletic aesthetic to the side to make way for the renowned craftsmanship and sophistication for which Balenciaga has it's reputation. Wang must have done his research into the traditional 40's and 50's shapes formed by the house founder, Cristobal Balenciaga, such as the oval, or more egg-like, shape designed for ladies of leisure, to incorporate the past into the very modern take on Balenciaga style. He updated the classic style by deconstructing the pattern pieces (a reoccurring idea for Wang) and 'stapling' them back together as well as 'piercing' the garments. In fact, Wang stated "we liked this idea of heirlooms being passed down and taking the familiar and referential and then twisting it. There's an ulterior polarising effect." The 'twists' were evident in many ways; firstly, the glamorous sequin embroidery which, on closer inspection, were actually cut up razor blades - giving the piece a bit more edge. Secondly, the luxurious classic tweet was spray painted with neon paint - an act of rebellion. 

According to a source, William Arnold Granger's wife, Ethel Granger, who was famed for her 13-inch waist (yes, apparently that IS possible thanks to the organ crushing process of corsetry. Now renamed 'waist training') was a muse for this collection. William once wrote, "Nothing is more repulsive to the faddist than to see a feminine ear squashed flat with a clip or screw. How can this compete with the dainty piercing from which jewels swing free?" which probably explains the 'pierced' garments as well as the ear embellishment on each model who strutted down the runway, mimicking the excessive metal jewellery which featured in Granger's ears and nose (I don't mean excessive in a bad way - if you know me, you know I love piercings. In fact my dad hates all the 'metal in my face' haha.)

The soft palette must have been a new territory for Wang, favouring greys and silvers and red rather than black but it completely worked for this collection. The soft palette complimented the great craftsmanship and excessive display of wealth 

I liked that Wang used kilt pins with the 'CB' initials on it, proudly boasting the brand's heritage, to hold together jackets and skirts whilst updating the brand. The structured silhouettes are simply incredible. What do you all think of this contemporary Balenciaga? 

2 comments:

  1. wow nice post and I am so in love with your blog in general! :D I hope to hear more from you soon, because I will definitely come back and read your future posts! Keep up the great work, I'm a fan! :)

    xoxo Ana

    www.the-secret-life-of-ana-g.blogspot.co.at

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much!! Thank you for reading and hope you do continue to read my future posts!! Xx

      Delete

BLOGGER TEMPLATES BY pipdig