Fashion fans have had to wait 99 years for it and when it came – atop a secondary school in central Paris – it did not disappoint. On Wednesday, the iconic house of Balenciaga unveiled its first menswear catwalk show, with a collection that focused almost exclusively on exaggerated tailoring. It was, said designer Demna Gvasalia, wearing jeans tucked into his socks, Reebok pump trainers and smoking a cigarette, “a clean slate”.
The label has produced menswear before – quietly, revealed with presentations – but this collection was the first time that the menswear has come out of the shadows and been given equal billing with womenswear.
Balenciaga is currently enjoying almost unilateral critical acclaim. It is now under the command of Gvasalia, who also designs for cult Parisian-based collective Vetements, of DHL T-shirt fame. The Georgian-born designer unveiled his debut womenswear show for Balenciaga three months ago to rave reviews. It was considered a hard stop on the outlook of Alexander Wang, the brand’s previous designer, and a statement of intent by Gvasalia. His Balenciaga collection simultaneously used the heritage of the brand as an oblique frame of reference while seamlessly blending in his outsider, street-influenced vision. Under Gvasalia, the Balenciaga mission statement is clear: luxury clothes to be worn, not mothballed; product that is desirable without losing its integrity as something practical.
On the catwalk, this unwritten motto was evident, albeit not in a straightforward way. Tailoring is one of the basic tenets of a masculine wardrobe, but these silhouettes – either with exaggerated, almost menacing shoulders, or strained tightly around the torso – were far from everyday. The effect of the supersize was reminiscent of Talking Heads’ big suit. Backstage, however, Gvasalia was keen to emphasise that all of the collection would go into production, meaning the brand expects to sell it as is.
The idea for the tailoring apparently came from Cristóbal Balenciaga – a master tailor who made suits for himself and his clients. In the pockets of some of the blazers (often worn with shorts and knee boots) were “Balenciaga cards”, originally used to write notes about measurements and fit for each of his clients. The volume was another nod to the house’s couture heritage. A search for silks had led the designer to suppliers to the Vatican. They wove fabrics for the show in cardinal red and papal purple, giving the formalwear an ecclesiastical touch. A lace altar-boy cassock peeping below a suit and a priest’s stole were surprise touches to this new Balenciaga era.
Parts of the collection were pure Gvasalia. Skater chains hanging down from the waistband of trousers, baseball caps with logos, pleated voluminous trousers and cropped MA1 tailored bombers will be dog whistles to the designer’s fans. Many of them were present either attending or as part of the show, some watching from black padded office chairs more usually found stacked outside a conference room. The designer’s penchant for elevating the normal to couture status came through with the inclusion of a leather overnight bag, which appeared to have been inspired by the bags found at the entrance of Ikea.
One criticism levelled at the Balenciaga womenswear show was that there were no non-white models. Happily, this was not the case at the menswear debut. The models were united by youth, cheekbones, home-cut-looking hair and studied snarls, but not by their skin colour.
