Balenciaga -- Murky Underwater Love
By Karl Treacy
Photos by Gruber-FWD
PARIS, Oct 14, 2002/ FWD/ --- Think Balenciaga, and activities such as scuba diving and
surfing don’t immediately spring to mind.
Yet they sprang to mind for designer Nicolas Ghesquiere, who sent out a rather confused
spring collection for the historically revered, and currently cult, house.
While other designers have had fantasies of Oriental markets and palaces, Ghesquiere was
thinking about life in warm exotic seas.
He introduced shower curtain prints of colorful fish as a panel on a top or dress or covered
a whole dress in them and butched it all up with a big black plastic zip down the back.
"It was all about wetsuits and diving and making these things in a T-shirt mood,"
Ghesquiere explained. "But it’s not neoprene, it’s viscose made to look like neoprene."
Words of caution for any bright young thing who might think she’s just bought the most
stylish designer snorkel outfit ever.
But something was missing at Balenciaga, namely that twist and frisson of excitement that
makes initially strange clothes seem breathtakingly and inexplicably desirable.
Sure, a lot of the pieces were great, like tight sheer mini-dresses decorated with swirls
of ruching in nude or royal blue or tiny fitted jackets with a vague military feel and
wide belt loops.
An ultra fine twin set in royal blue with loose welt pockets edged in white caught a
rebellious bourgeois mood.
Ghesquiere continued his newfound love affair with high-waisted trousers.
Super snapper Mario Testino was in the front row watching the 30 looks pass by with French
Vogue’s Carine Roitfeld when the whippet thin editor got excited about spiraling leg zips
on black cropped pants.
But when Testino favorite Gisele the gazelle exploded past in a blur of flailing limbs,
showing why she was born to be a supermodel, even her statuesque proportions failed to
make skin-tight, tapered, high check pants with accented waist darts look desirable.
What hope is there for mere mortals?
|
