Yesterday took place, in the heart of Paris, the Balmain Fashion Show Sur Seine, organized by the Creative Director of the brand, Olivier Rousteing, on a boat that went through the Seine with onboard a small group of models and dancers. The collection was accompanied by a series of special performances, including one by the French singer Yseult. The show wants to be a return to life after the lockdown and was art directed by Andrew Makadsi, collaborator of Beyoncé, and choreographed by Jean-Charles Jousni. Then, because the fashion show marks the 75th anniversary of the brand, Olivier Rousteing chose to present some archive pieces designed by Pierre Balmain and the other creative directors that came before him, like Erik Mortensen and Oscar de la Renta.
The first dress that Pierre ever made was sold to the Princess Ghislaine de Polignac, followed by the Duchess of Kent, the Duchess of Windsor and Queen Sirikit of Thailand. Then it came to success among some of the most famous artists and divas of the time like Josephine Baker e Marlene Dietrich, but also Katherine Hepburn in the film Les Millionaires, and in the 50s even Brigitte Bardot had to visit Queen Elizabeth asked him to design her outfits.
A mix between royalty, burgess and pop culture, that Rousteig keeps alive with his creative direction, designing outfits for women such as Michelle Obama, Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian. And after three months of lockdown, for Olivier, this show was an ode to femininity in every form and a comeback to life.
