Balenciaga Fall 2022 Couture - Paris
Demna Gvsalia has returned for his 2nd Haute Couture collection for Balenciaga, reinstating the importance of holding the shows within the late Cristóbal Balenciaga's restored Maison in Paris. It was the Fall 2021 showing which set a standard amidst Gvsalia's debut as Couturier while imprinting his antithesis of fashion design. Which, if one was a traditionalist when viewing and discerning couture, Gvsalia's Balenciaga would be far from that foundation of Haute Couture Cristóbal Balenciaga was famous for. But, designer fashion brands if they are to remain as a seasonal dominance within their perspective markets, Kering, who owns Balenciaga, would not be reigning in creative control over Balenciaga. Rather they have allowed Gvsalia to develop his unique retroaction to the fashion industry, which, as noted with his Resort 2023 showing held at the New York stock exchange, along with his horror esque collection, was quoted in saying, "...We live in a terrifying world, and I think fashion is a reflection of that..." . And the Balenciaga Couture Fall 2023 collection is a further extension of Gvsalia's deconstruction of fashion, whilst imprinting his sequitur that is of the doomsday ethos. Which, undeniable surrounds us all, at this time in our history.
Gvsalia has merged his sadomasochistic and "terrifying" elements from the Resort collection as a couture show, which work on the basis of Gvsalia's precision styling, which throughout his tenure with Balenciaga has presented some of the most assiduous avant-garde styles within the fashion industry today. Yet, one cannot deny Gvsalia's burlesque take on Cristóbal Balenciaga couture standard, as the Fall 2022 collection is filled with the gothic and bizarre.
With the beginning of the collection starting with the rubber bondage wear stylizations seen at the Balenciaga New York Stock Exchange show, morphing into Gvsalia's couture styles from his debut show in 2021, which in turn have merged into his twisted and artisan shapes for Balenciaga's street wear looks, to which aluminum fibers where inserted into the cotton fabrics. With each model adorning a fitted black shiny mask, devoid of any features. Which is Gvsalia persistent commentary on narcissism within our digital world, as the mask represents a void and reflective look of emptiness. With the masks removed towards the end of the collection as the couture aspect's of Gvsalia's finery are revealed, so are faces of his ragtag mélange models which he uses, including some popular culture favorites that ironically, throughout their celebritydom, have been the epitome which represents our love affair with narcissistic materialism.
Gvsalia's second attempt at couture, is more of a parody than not. Which is probably his intention, whilst reflecting, as he has done with previous Balenciaga shows, a subtle and not so subtle commentary of the turmoil facing our world. So, despite the materialistic aspects of the Balenciaga brand name that does offer hyperreal elements of greed and excess. Society may have already collapsed in the face of pandemics, economic chaos and a new Cold War, whilst we view it all as a replay through our cellphones and social media feeds. So, I find the final outfit in the collection the most intriguing, the cream colored intricately designed ballroom gown, with the model's face covered by a thin white tulle veil. Her features obscure. To me, represents the phantom, a ghost, an apparition of our end, without a beginning. To be that hungry ghost, who walks within the realms of world in suffering.
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(A.Glass 2022)
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