Olivier Rousteing has evolved the Balmain brand on an impressive scale since he joined in 2011. His designs bring a perfect balance between vintage and modern fashion is the excellence behind his collections.
For SS 15 we can look forward to leather in forms we thought only suitable for the bedroom and leather that will require a round of applause from onlookers. I’m talking about the structured caged bondage style ensembles which put Paris Fashion Week back on the fashion map (it never really went away, but we have missed it dearly).
An army of models adorned in white leather worked suits with provocative cut-outs on the waist, tailored biker style jackets teamed with a central zip bustier and figure hugging shorts. Team soft white continued with a bandeau and high-waisted flared trouser co-ordinate that possessed domination with wrap around leather strapping below the shoulders and around the waist. There was a jumpsuit that was cut beautifully and complimented with a plunging neckline.
Black leather latticework dresses and jumpsuits also made an appearance on the runway, although black leather isn’t your ordinary look for SS, it seems designers are embracing a dark colour palette. To me the show stopping piece was a caged jumpsuit which was crafted with a material so light and airy it could have passed as a second skin.
Subtle bursts of blue, red and yellow also contributed to this polished collection. A youthful yellow halter neck bodycon dress with the caged detailing in black leather also with cut-outs, and a yellow triple belted bandeau teamed with a blocked stripe oversized blazer in black and yellow which was worn with high waisted trousers in black soft leather. The blue shade worked exceptionally well behind the lattice effect, it was teamed with a black transparent caged skirt all pulled together with a blue and black waist belt to enhance the hourglass silhouette which is becoming a habit for Balmain.
As well as block colours with a background to rely on contrast, Olivier also produced clashing colour stripes emerging from a range of angles in a mixture of materials to finish off his SS 15 collection. A Floor sweeping silk skirt in clashing stripes was teamed with a contrary stiff leather corseted halter neck top, and a multi-toned triple tiered bandeau was completed with a vertical colour stripe bodycon skirt that slightly loosened up at the bottom.
Olivier has put his Balmain stamp on the etched-in waist, lattice leather and sharply cut tailored pieces for SS 15. So be prepared for the Balmain obsessed celebrities such as Rihanna, Cara Delevingne, the Kardashian clan, Beyonce and Kate Moss to be rocking Rousteign’s designs very soon.
