From Balenciaga, New Ways to Wear Leather

Leave it to Nicolas Ghesquiere to discover a new way to wear familiar materials. His show on Thursday morning at the Hotel Crillon in Paris took us into new territory with black leather: He crocheted or braided thick rounds of the leather, as though they were yarns as thick as your finger, creating a bunched up look that is unlikely to be repeated on another runway….and if it is, it’ll look like a copy, even five years from now. He used the technique with jackets and a vest, as well as handbags, and threw them together with dresses. It was all about dresses — of sharp, vibrant floral prints that draped and swayed in the front but pulled more tautly and conservatively in the back. The rest of the collection fleshed out with familiar Ghesquiere shapes – scuba tunics worn over long slim pants were outstanding. He even tossed in a few seasonal trends – metallic threads, for instance. Mr. Ghesquiere has made Gucci-Group-owned Balenciaga all his own since taking over the brand. He doesn’t try to channel the namesake designer. In fact, Pamela Golbin, curator of the Louvre’s fashion and decorative arts collections, says it took him several years to visit the museum’s Balenciaga archives. That’s his method, and it must have contributed to his ultra-modern, directional approach. By directional, I mean that these are clothes that will lead other clothes to be made at a later date. The most fashionable people will wear Balenciaga, but these looks stand out, and aren’t for the faint of heart.