Balmain Fall 2016 - Runway Review
March 6, 2016
Olivier Rousteing’s famed sense of drama reached new heights at his fall show for Balmain as the black and mirrored lozenge stone floor of the opulent venue contrasted with stripes on heavily ornamented silhouettes. Heavy fringing, netting, thick layering, hips sculpted roundly in corset-like ribbed skirts and stone-studded chokers created the sense of weighty opulence alongside decorative fabric embroideries and baroque swirls. The feel was the late 19th century — and at certain points it evoked the noble dames of the Paris Opera under the Second Empire. But this was still very 21st century Balmain: waists were aggressively cinched, often with the help of big bands, sometimes leading up to a corset bustier. Metallic sheen leggings shimmered past sexily and there was little subtlety and sense to many of the looks.
