Balmain’s star studded army
In fashion, there are certain ‘tribes’ you long to join. Claire Waight Keller’s boho angels at Chloe, Karl’s muses at Chanel, and of course Olivier Rousteing’s Balmain Army. This season at Paris Fashion Week is no different, with Olivier’s latest collection for the brand stripping back the studs and fierceness that he brought to AW14, in favour of an unequivocally chic power collection. However, there was still that signature Balmain exposure, in daring cut outs and cage details and subtly sexy sheer twists in between primary colour accents of bold yellow, blue and red hues.
One thing that really caught our attention was the star studded FROW that even spilled out onto the catwalk. Notable Balmain army followers Kim Kardashian-West and husband Kanye stepped out in their most regal ensembles to watch Olivier present the collection in Paris last week. The pair, wearing head to toe couture looked dead set to claim their crowns as King and ‘Kween’ of Paris Fashion Week as they continued to do the rounds at the shows. A guest of Kim and Kanye’s, momager Kris Jenner was also present at Balmain SS15. Why you might ask? Well, to support the long lean runway juggernaut that is daughter Kendall, who walked in the shoe for Olivier.
Wearing two looks in the show, Kendall showcased a sleek cutaway suit jacket with a leather skirt, letting the peekaboo details do all the talking, with slicked back hair and a minimal bronzed face. She later took to the runway in what the tabloids deem her most shocking look, but we loved the cage detail midi dress on Kendall. Walking with the likes of Rosie Huntington Whiteley, Joan Smalls and Karlie Kloss would seem daunting to any 18 year old model starting out, but Kendall carries it off with aplomb, staking her claim on the catwalk all on her own. Her family may have taken centre stage on the FROW, but all eyes were on Kendall and her fellow models once the show began. It’s also nice to see Rosie back in action and the model powerhouse certainly shows them how it’s done.
Olivier knows how to dress a woman, how a woman wants to feel in clothes and Balmain is one of the few shows where the models wear the clothes and don’t let the clothes wear them. Confidence is key and the cinched in belts and striking separates achieve that strong femininity that few designers can provide from their clothes.
Now, where do we sign up to join Olivier’s Army?
