by Lotus Ladegaard

Balmain has leaped into the 21st century ever since Olivier Rousteing arrived at the prestigious Fashion House. He has revamped the aesthetics and made it relevant yet remained very true to the Balmain DNA.

For Pre-Fall, Olivier Rousteing found inspiration in the archives and thus paid homage to some of Pierre Balmain’s very own favorite designs and revamping them into very contemporary pieces. It made for a stunning and impressive Pre-Fall collection full of showstoppers and stand-out pieces. Giving old Balmain classics a facelift might have been a risk for some, but Olivier Rousteing manages to do so with bravura.

The color palette was anything but simple; it featured a variety of tartans, varieties on paisleys, baroque embroidering in silver and gold, animal print, dots and stripes along with some splashes of bold blue, yellow and red. The silhouettes were very Balmain but also featured some variations and even offered a couple of easy-to-wear pieces.

Perhaps the most successful pieces were the paisley along with the tartan and embroidered pieces although the Jolie Madame jacket with the Pierre Balmain signature strong shoulders in black with leopard spots and the pared-down tuxedo dress also stood out as Balmain classics and showstoppers that any fashion editors would love to shoot.

The Balmain Pre-Fall collection is exquisite, bold and fashion-forward. It is bound to do well with its celebrity following, fashion editors and fashionistas alike around the globe. Olivier Rousteing has delivered another successful collection and continues to move Balmain forward while never forgetting the Fashion House’s past.