For spring 2023, Demna invited New York’s great and good to Wall Street to watch as he gave capitalism a fetishistic spin. Pussy-bow blouses and gimp masks at the ready! Here’s everything you need to know about the corporate-cool show.
Balenciaga’s stocks are up
Set in New York’s Stock Exchange on the morning of 22 May, the parallel between going to church on a Sunday and attending the Balenciaga show was not lost on show-goers. The invite – a stack of fake $100 bills – set the holy grail of Instagram alight. Bathed in the glow of dozens of flashing day trader screens, members of the press watched Demna’s “quite urgent” show play out.
The models wore gimp masks
The world’s biggest supermodels could have walked the makeshift runway on Wall Street, but you’d never know because their faces were covered by the kind of fetishistic bodysuits we’ve come to associate with Kim Kardashian. The Demna disciple couldn’t make the show owing to her sister Kourtney’s wedding in Portofino, but there were plenty of Balenciaga cheerleaders, from newlywed Chloë Sevigny and Megan Thee Stallion to Ye and Pharrell Williams, there to throw their support behind the designer, who was also shrouded in Latex.
Pussy-bows are back!
The show was split into three sections, kicking off with the new “Garde-Robe” category: an edit of “wardrobe staples in elevated cuts, sharp finishings and luxe materials”, according to the brand. Inspired by the recently reinstated couture division, these elevated classics included relaxed suiting and coats, from oversized trenches to mannish winter outerwear, all worn with silky pussy-bow blouses for exaggerated workwear polish. Demna said it was all about precision tailoring with minimalist construction techniques, but at first glance it was a striking mix of elegance and menace.
There was much eveningwear to bid on
Demna will be keeping Isabelle Huppert in second-skin gowns next spring (the black sequin bodycon one would look particularly chic on the French actor), but there were new eveningwear propositions to delight the more daring house ambassadors. Silk trench dresses, fluid pyjama-style coords and reconstructed tuxedos were dressed down with the brand’s new padded XL Pumps, bumper Steroid boots made using a single exaggerated mould, and dramatic Stage shoes: heel-less sock pumps connected to a platform by just the toe in order to give the impression of an optical illusion. Consider the Money bag – a top-handle style that opens from underneath – the Cagole’s new bourgeois sister.
Adidas is set for full fashion domination
Kudos to whoever is doing the three-striped brand’s PR. Fresh off the back of Gucci’s trefoil-stamped tie-up with the German sportswear giant, Balenciaga has scored another bold Adidas athleisure collab. Building on the brand’s football shirts, the new ’Chiaga team uniform comprises slouchy tracksuits, pumped up hoodies, XL tees and robes, many of which were available to shop or pre-order on Balenciaga.com after the show. Demna scored high on the stock market this season.
