Olivier Rousteing Debuts the New French Style

French fashion designer Olivier Rousteing once again proves that although young, his creative outlook on fashion makes him an icon and a force to be reckoned with. Rousteing has been the Creative Director of Balmain since he was 25 and has arguably revolutionized the house. Since 2011, Rousteing has delivered collections that are distinctive and contemporary every season. He is known for incorporating classic French couture into all of his pieces– which never goes unnoticed. 

The Balmain new era consists of a fresh French style that also integrates some of Monsieur Balmain’s best archives. The upcoming Fall/Winter collection gives old Hollywood glamor with a lot of intricate jeweling and solid winter colors– like royal blue. The pearls embedded in the sheer-looking material gave the clothing a timeless and classy touch. 

The collection consisted of silhouettes inspired by Balmain’s best pieces from the ‘60s and ‘70s. Rousteing managed to do this while keeping the clothes modern. The stage was a neutral beige color, which allowed viewers' eyes to immediately fixate on the models. As the models strutted out of the dark, the first thing that caught the eye was the beautiful crystals and jewels on many of the clothing items. The detail in the stitching with pearls and jewels made the lines look asymmetrical, directing the eye from one part to another. The jewels definitely made a statement, but the clothing was still minimalistic. The high-shine brooches and bows were a personal favorite of Monsieur Balmain, and it seems like they are making their way back as a quality fashion trend this season. 

Every other model had a big, beautiful bow on the top of their outfit. The bows in this collection were an elaborate detail that I associated with delicate hyper-femininity; it gave a sleek, minimalistic aesthetic. The necklines were hard to turn away from as the deep V cuts were universally flattering and drew attention to the model's beautiful posture. 

Even though the clothes were mostly solid winter colors, the occasional pop of pink was eye-catching and calming to the mind. It was no surprise that large gold and pearl buttons were included in components of the clothing. Buttons are reminiscent of that Parisian charm; they are timeless in French fashion and never fail to give that “oo la la” factor. It looks like Rousteing is thinking this season that the bigger the button, the better. I found it interesting that most, if not all, of the models had bleached their eyebrows. This might just be me, but I think this was done to keep the attention purely on the art of the clothing. It truly wowed me to see so many models walking in such long pants that covered their feet completely. The flare really elongated their legs, which I found to be stunning. Models stunting shoulder pads were also popular, which gave some of the most simplistic pieces an abstract feature. It seems like for the past five or so years, shoulder pads have continuously made their way back into the trends, and we are living for the comeback.

Strike out,

Lili Jahromi

Lili Jahromi is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine Boca. She spends an unnecessary amount of her time idolizing Lady Gaga, sharing intimate moments with her friends, and beachin’ it with her b*tches. You can reach her at jahromilrose@yahoo.com