Fall 2012: Balmain

Look. Let me just say it. Olivier Rousteing is the best thing to have happened to Balmain in a long time. There. And with this collection, he took the label back to its couture roots with a dash of Russian imperial glamour.

Inspiration for the collection apparently was the blue and gold Fabergé egg Richard Burton gave to Elizabeth Taylor, setting the tone of the highly structured clothes that dripped with jewels. But Rousteing was not just about gemstones- long vestments in black and sumptuous velvets consolidated a fall trend for the covered-up and looked forward, not back. 

Revisiting the house’s signature jacket, Roousteing made it oversized and sharpened it into an ornament. A beautiful one, too. Pants were relaxed to give the silhouette a more fluid look, and boyish cropped pants were paired with a perfect jacket and vest. The best Balmain collection i've seen in a long time.

Best of Pre-Fall 2012: Balmain

Talk about re-invention! Entirely abandoning the DIY aesthetic of Christophe Decarnin's Balmain, Olivier Rousteing's vision is still very luxe, but decidedly more polished and- GASP!- over-size. At least, for pre-Fall it is.
He's used the word "comfy" to describe the collection, and i'd have to agree it certainly looks it- blazers and jackets came in men's proportions, while pajama pants were made from quilted silk and in the most gorgeous of prints. Bravo.

Balmain Resort 2012

Having studied under Christophe Decarnin for two years, Olivier Rousteing is now at the head of the Balmain label. Sure, the clothes are still imbued with Decarnin's rock edge, but under Rousteing's vision, there's a bit more depth here with inspiration as varied as Las Vegas and Native America.
It's gonna take him a lot more to prove his commercial clout, but my senses tell me he's more than capable- just look at those prints and jackets!