“Luxury has many meanings,” mused Olivier Rousteing tonight. “And this is screaming luxury.” For his first full menswear show since the eve of the pandemic four years ago—via last season’s warm up salon presentation—Rousteing cranked his maximalism up, up, up. “I’m not a quiet man,” he mused.
The opening AI-generated face transposed onto a crystal topcoat set the tone for what was to come; intricate technique and extravagant embellishment combined to create unmissable clothes. “So many people laugh about my lips,” said Rousteing pre-show as he walked us through a series of looks that reclaimed the punchline and blew multiple ironic kisses at the gossips. Lip cummerbunds, brooches, jacquard suiting, shirt prints, and monochrome prints on bombers and shirts as well as some amazing pavé-crystal bracelets and lip-toed shoes made for a top-to-bottom riposte.
After a polka dot section he shifted into a homage to Congo’s sartorial cult, the sapeurs. Their ten commandments include this rule: “Thou shalt subdue the ngayas (non-knowers), the nbendes (ignorant) the tindongos (aimless talkers) on earth, underground at sea, and in the heavens.” To fulfill that brief Rousteing delivered powerfully shouldered and high-waisted silhouettes in full-wattage color mixes. Next up was a print collaboration with Accra based Prince Gyasi. Rousteing reproduced his images on garments and turned them into clothes: look 38’s triptych was adapted from a Gyasi photo. Another collaboration, with Cameroonian Ibby Njoya, transformed suitcases and tiny hard cases into highly lovable luggage.
An inverted tulip hemmed coat with layers of white cashmere arranged to form an eye was a key achievement in a suite of tailoring that draped with a sharp and precise beauty. A gold coat, gold face sculptures, heaped gold chains, a gold briefcase and a gold helmet—“for when you don’t want to be seen”—added more luster. At the end we saw Naomi Campbell in a surrealist belt whose fastening was two hands clasped to hold a golden bouquet of golden flowers. She wore a beige cashmere jacket, Rousteing’s sole concession to so-called “quiet luxury.” As he pointed out, Balmain has gone from 20 million euros in revenue a year to 300 million under his watch, “so I’m not gonna start being quiet now.” Why should he?