Balmain: Then & Now

When Christophe Decarnin was appointed creative director of Balmain in 2005 the house wasn’t known for rock and roll silhouettes. Pierre Balmain, the house’s founder and French couturier, was known for his elegant lines, strict sheath dresses and tailored suits, but Decarnin carved a new niche for himself—and the brand—as the master of all things cool.

Within one season fashion’s most influential women were wearing shoulder pads and ripped jeans, accessorized with spiky stilettos and safety pinned t-shirts.  Jackets suddenly cost five figures and ripped cotton tees were three—Balmain fever was making people crazy.  Eventually, trends turned toward ladylike and Balmain lost some of its it-factor, but Decarnin didn’t stray from his aesthetic.  Finally, last season, the designer either suffered from exhaustion or had a mental breakdown (depending on whom you ask) and the house was handed to Olivier Rousteing, a handsome young Parisian who’d been working with Decarnin since 2009.

But after seeing Rousteing’s debut collection in Paris yesterday, “working with” might not cover it.  Not much has changed between Decarnin’s last collection and Rousteing’s first.  The colors—black, white, gold—and the skinny silhouettes are strikingly similar.  But the consistency should keep customers happy; Bergdorf Goodman’s Linda Fargo told the WSJ, ““I think he did great!”