Balenciaga’s 52nd Couture Collection is in fact Demna’s third for the House. Revealed during an astonishing show in the salons at 10 Avenue George V, each look had a story to tell. The journey started with the first look that reinterprets an original Cristóbal Balenciaga design, seen on Danielle Slavik, the couturier’s preferred model from 1964 till 1968. With velvet flowers and an integrated pearl necklace, it connects the past and the present by reimagining the first iteration in a mirrored construct. And after different looks that left us in awe, like the dress composed of 10,000 crystals, it ended with a finale dress of CAD-designed, 3D-printed armor and galvanized resin polished in chrome, with a coating of black flock along the interior like a jewelry box. Rigid and reflective, it embodies a temporal crossroad between classical techniques and cutting-edge advancements, and demonstrates a new reality.
A tribute to pursuing perfection, even though true perfection is impossible, it is obvious that it’s always in the mind of the couturier, and the sharp shoulders, trompe l’œil techniques, padded coat, and all that we were given to admire are irrefutable arguments.
