Scene setting: In March, Vetements creative director Demna Gvasalia announced that his brand was moving its studio from Paris to Zurich. Gvasalia also took the creative helm of Balenciaga in October 2015, and the leafy park location of the Paris house’s S/S 2018 men’s show echoed his new base in Switzerland. Adding to the idyll, models in the show included real life fathers who walked the gravel path runway holding their children in their arms or by their hands. Balenciaga’s dads came dressed in double-breasted suits, everyday jeans and leather coats –- the stylistic tropes of normal fathers on the run from the the office to the school gates.
Mood board: Fathers aside, models in the show walked in oversized eighties jackets, striped shirts and jeans, rodeo fringed leather jacket, Hawaiian shirts and nineties Gabba style stonewashed jeans and anoraks. Gvasalia is known for elevating ‘normal’ clothes – like the hoody, the jean, and the polo shirt. The familiar striped leather shopping bags from Balenciaga’s S/S 2017 collection clock in at over £1,000. For S/S 2018, familiar shapes like hoodies, were elevated with youthful slogans including ‘the power of dreams’, aptly worn by children within the show.
Finishing touches: Layering was key. Trousers resembled ones that had been piled on top of each other three times over, polo-shirts were double layered, while other looks featured a final layer of a clear plastic poncho. What father wouldn’t have one in his rucksack in case of rain?
Balenciaga S/S 2018
Balenciaga S/S 2018
Balenciaga S/S 2018
Balenciaga S/S 2018
-
Must-visit cinemas with award-worthy designCreativity leaps the screen at these design-led cinemas, from Busan Cinema Centre’s record-flying roof to The Gem Cinema Jaipur’s art deco allure
-
The modernist home of musician Imogen Holst gets Grade II listingThe daughter of the composer Gustav Holst lived here from 1964 until her death, during which time the home served a locus for her own composition work, which included assisting Benjamin Britten
-
This fun and free-spirited photography exhibition offers a chromatic view on the world‘Chromotherapia’ at Villa Medici in Rome, explores how we view colour as a way of therapy, and how it has shaped photography over the last century (until 9 June 2025)
-
Palace unites with Rapha to celebrate inaugural Tour de France FemmesMarking the first time women will compete in the historic cycling race since the late 1980s, this new collaboration sees Palace Skateboards and Rapha create uniforms for both on and off the bike – including an ‘outlandish’ pair of Crocs
-
Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022: Chanel to Miu MiuIn this extended report, Wallpaper* updates you live from Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022 shows, with rolling coverage as runway events unfold
-
Scene-stealing runway sets from S/S 2022 womenswear showsFrom giant roulette wheels to Olympic diving boards and multi-city synchronized extravaganzas – our pick of the best fashion show sets from S/S 2022 womenswear
-
From The Simpsons to the European Parliament: best Balenciaga show sets‘Ay, caramba!' In celebration of The Simpsons-inspired Balenciaga S/S 2022 runway show, which saw the residents of Springfield descend onto the catwalks of Paris Fashion Week, we present the best recent fashion show sets from the Parisian maison
-
Walk this way: navigating S/S 2021's Paris Fashion WeekHow the City of Lights looked to the sartorial realities of our much changed lifestyles
-
Louis Vuitton A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's -
Chanel A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women’s -
Y/Project A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's
