Naomi Campbell at Balmain is like the icing on the cake. One is difficult to imagine without the other. For his return to Paris Men’s Fashion Week, the artistic director of Balmain, Olivier Rousteing, once again called on the legendary top model of the 90s – the model notably stood out alongside Carla Bruni during a previous show, in order to close its event parade in the Grand Halle de la Villette in Paris. The one who is celebrating his decade at the head of the French luxury house founded by Pierre Balmain in 1945 knows that he can now count on the star, whom he also counts among his close friends, to electrify his spectacular fashion shows.
It’s in the 19th centurye district in the north-east of Paris, that Olivier Rousteing this time unveiled his fall-winter 2024-2025 men’s collection. A men’s wardrobe at the crossroads of genres and styles and surprising with its chromatic palette of vibrant hues. Naomi Campbell, the only female silhouette in this fall salvo, was preceded by men’s looks with slick tailoring, marked by bright colors and pop prints like red lips.
Sleek, colorful tailoring
For once, Olivier Rousteing touches us with the candor and visual liveliness of his collection. His conception of beauty is deployed both in gold hues (long jewelry separates the face in most looks) and in floral motifs (models walk with a bouquet of flowers in their hands). The Balmain man is the image of Olivier Rousteing’s personality: touching, full of contradictions and singularly original. The sweaters are set with gold details, the long suit jackets with wide shoulders, dotted with kisses. Balmain boys walk on high heels, but they also like white flat sneakers. Perhaps more than before, Olivier Rousteing has created a locker room for everyone, intended for all tastes. Enough to delight even the most skeptical among the artistic director’s critics.
