See the codes of Gvasalia’s wardrobe in Balenciaga Pre-Fall 2016 RTW.
The mysteries of Demna Gvasalia’s time at Balenciaga. Despite official word from the brand that its pre-fall collection was designed by an in-house team between Alexander Wang’s departure and Gvasalia’s arrival, images of the collection, which were released on Tuesday, show a strong Vetements vibe, especially in the thigh-high stiletto heeled boots.
For the pre-fall look book, the beautiful, patrician visages of Stella Tennant, Julia Nobis and Marland Backus peak out from from oversized hoodies and shearlings, whilst lurk around racks suggesting the Balenciaga archive. One of the hints, you might also recognise aviator jacket, particularly used during the tenure of Nicolas Ghesquiere. There are also swimming-cap style beanie hats, bondage chains, pointy party heels, tuxedo jackets, nipped-in skirt suiting, and polite heritage checks that point to Balenciaga’s upscale heritage.
At this point, it’ll be interesting to see what the designer does for the historically sophisticated house for the next few seasons, while at Vetements the design collective appropriate and skew well-known logos (DHL, Champion…), at Balenciaga it’s all about brash in-house wording. Fans will be sporting their allegiance upfront.