EXCERPT: BALENCIAGA SPRING 2024 - PARIS FASHION WEEK.

 "...There does seem like a messier undertone, with some of the finer tailoring that has been see with his pre and post actual Couture showings toned down, while the fits look stuffy and more drapey.  With Demna's exasperated and deconstructed sneaker styles, showing even more extra dimensions.  And his motley crew of models that Demna's uses, don't at all offer a reprieve from the many contradictions of the Balenciaga template. I also find it hard to see, if there is a underlying statement of using a mixed bag of aging models for Demna's Spring styles, other than exploiting the aesthetics.  

Overall, what can be seen is a tiring of Demna's Balenciaga, despite his ability to innovate a showpiece for each of his collections since he took the reigns from Alexander Wang, after Wang's Spring 2016 collection.  The contrast between Wang's Balenciaga and Demna's is striking and Kering mostly views Balenciaga as one of the "Other Houses" in their quarterly financial reports.  To which Gucci and Saint Laurent have been their main earners.  Therefor the niche market for Balenciaga has mostly been aimed at Chinese/Asian consumers, and this could be unwinding via a Chinese economy that is finally slowing down."

___

Full review: chiasmusmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/10/balenciaga-spring-2024-paris-fashion.html 

(A.Glass 2023)