Balenciaga S/S 2019 Paris Fashion Week Women's

Mood board: Is technology really rendering our lives better and easier and allowing us to be more connected, or is it completely ruining our existence? Maybe a little bit of both? By now, nobody will deny that those questions remain constantly in the back of our minds. Not even Demna Gvasalia. The designer's last outing for Balenciaga was a reflection on the effects that tech is having on us. It may not be a pretty picture, but it sure is a striking one. Upon arriving to the show venue in La Plaine Saint-Denis, guests took their seats in what looked like a long tube (much the inside of a gigantic computer cable), admittedly a bit of a claustrophobic, unsettling scenario, albeit an impressive one.
Team work: The set was in fact the work of Canada-born video artist Jon Rafman, who has made a career of exploring the way that technology is changing human beings. For the show, he conceived a cinematic video installation, part techno-futuristic, part like a bad psychedelic trip, which took over the whole set, from the floor to the ceiling. As if the effect wasn't ominous enough, there was the music, custom-made post-punk beats over which an Orwellian voice repeated, incessantly, the words 'presence is key, now is the answer, ego is not who you are... How has humanity been taken by this for so long?', like some sort of infinitely ironic mantra about our era. There was no doubt about it: Demna Gvasalia has rarely been in a darker mood.
Best in show: Further proof of it was in the clothes: gone were the humorous normcore slogans and exaggerated layerings from seasons past. This time, the collection was reduced to the strict minimum. There were simple dresses, suits and trench coats with extra-large square shoulders (no shoulder pads though, it was all the effect of 3D tailoring. At least we'll have that to thank technology for) and crisp shirts in a C silhouette (Cristóbal Balenciaga's trademark), accompanied by square-toed pumps and Demna's own trademark accessory, the sock boot. The only concessions to ornament were in the magazine clutches – a guaranteed best-seller – and a few ensembles embroidered with mini Eiffel Towers. After all, how much embellishment do we need for our 21st century lives running back and forth from the office with our iPhones?
Balenciaga S/S 2019
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
All-In is the Paris-based label making full-force fashion for main character dressing
Part of our monthly Uprising series, Wallpaper* meets Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø of All-In, the LVMH Prize-nominated label which bases its collections on a riotous cast of characters – real and imagined
By Orla Brennan
-
Maserati joins forces with Giorgetti for a turbo-charged relationship
Announcing their marriage during Milan Design Week, the brands unveiled a collection, a car and a long term commitment
By Hugo Macdonald
-
Through an innovative new training program, Poltrona Frau aims to safeguard Italian craft
The heritage furniture manufacturer is training a new generation of leather artisans
By Cristina Kiran Piotti
-
Palace unites with Rapha to celebrate inaugural Tour de France Femmes
Marking 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
By Jack Moss
-
Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022: Chanel to Miu Miu
In this extended report, Wallpaper* updates you live from Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022 shows, with rolling coverage as runway events unfold
By Jack Moss
-
Scene-stealing runway sets from S/S 2022 womenswear shows
From 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
By Laura Hawkins
-
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
By Laura Hawkins
-
Walk this way: navigating S/S 2021's Paris Fashion Week
How the City of Lights looked to the sartorial realities of our much changed lifestyles
By Laura Hawkins
-
Louis Vuitton A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's
By Laura Hawkins
-
Chanel A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women’s
By Laura Hawkins
-
Y/Project A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's
By Laura Hawkins