The Creative Director Champions Women's Liberation with Fluid Runway Show.
While recent appointments at Dior and Chanel sparked major attention during the current Paris fashion week, it was the inaugural presentation from the fashion house that utterly dominated the press coverage. The show featured a unexpected guest: the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan, making her first European appearance in a three-year period.
On Saturday night in the French capital, the razzle-dazzle of Dior, Chanel – and even another high-profile guest – were all outshone with the sheer impact of the Balenciaga event.
The Duchess delivered immense razzle-dazzle to Balenciaga’s Paris show.
Prior to the event, the prevailing sentiment surrounding Pierpaolo Piccioli’s debut had been relatively serene. Balenciaga is a time-honored label, and the creative force is universally praised as a world-leading designer. Moreover, he is beloved for his status as the nicest man in fashion. Many assumed that dramatic fashion statements had left the house of Balenciaga with the departure of Demna, known for his bold style to another luxury house. Yet, occasionally the kindest people can deliver surprises, and the appearance of royalty dramatically heightened the level of hoopla.
Piccioli sees himself as an architect, creating forms that do not contact the human form.
Intriguingly, the core concept of Piccioli’s “manifesto”, as he described it after the show, was women's liberation. His primary reference was the revolutionary 1957 design by Balenciaga, a outline that sits proud of the body, neither amplifying nor restricting a woman’s curves. The designer explained that this style was a radical expression of a changing spirit of the times that was starting to transition from the post-war traditionalism towards the more free-spirited era. “It was about progress for women. It freed women from the constraints of clothing that sit on their body and focus on their anatomy. This design gave women the chance to exist unencumbered.”
Balenciaga’s most iconic silhouettes were included in the show, such as this structured outerwear.
Clothes that hold their form are at the heart of the identity of Balenciaga. Piccioli likened this approach to design to being an structural designer: building forms that never make contact with the body, while always thinking about the people who will wear and move in them. “Cristóbal Balenciaga was obsessed with the body and with textiles, and with a third element – the space in between.”
The opening look was a contemporary update of the loose-fitting garment, extended to an floor-grazing length, paired with elegant gloves – but also with oversized sunglasses that acted as a clear homage to the futuristic edge of Balenciaga’s Demna era.
He, who at his current age wears beaded necklaces and projects an air of hippie-ish serenity, is not interested in seeing the industry as a competitive fight. He argues that it is better for fashion artists to respect each other’s abilities. He mentioned that he was hoping for a harmonious balance between the haute couture heritage of the brand, and its more recent streetwear era. The brand's legendary shapes were included in the collection: a voluminous outerwear piece, this time in a bold green hue, and a trapeze dress in a intense purple color.
The phenomenon of effortless French fashion has become a modern money-spinner. This creative talent is an transatlantic figure, but he masters this style code. He collaborated closely with the renowned designer during her time leading the brand, and then spent six years elevating the American brand into a beacon of wearable style. Now back at Céline, he is introducing the inclusive spirit of American style to the local aesthetic. The collection featured trench coats, natural accessories, and luxury fabrics used as accents – the signature details of Parisian elegance – designed with sunny colors, with an upbeat American tone. This is not an exclusive label, or a brand that wants to exclude people,” the designer explained post-presentation. “I hope that everyone feels desirable in Celine. In this clothing, you may not have the strangest thing, but you have the best coat, and you have the confidence to wear it.”
