Balmain Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear SS2016

Shortly after H&M released it’s campaign images for the upcoming Balmain x H&M collection it was time for designer Olivier Rousteing to shine with his SS2016 collection for Balmain. And like many designers who collaborated with the Swedish fashion brand before, Rousteing too was influenced by it. Preparing a capsule collection for H&M had encouraged him to examine what he stood for. So today’s spring/summer show was as close to his core as a Balmain designer as it gets. Resulting in a extraordinary line-up of attention grabbing, figure hugging and jaw dropping outfits. Sensuality was in every fiber of this collection and like real African amazons – high pony tails, statement chandelier earrings, accentuated waists and necklines – the diverse models strutted their stuff. Oranges, mustards, blues and greens felt earthy as the collection appeared lighter than Rousteing’s previous ones. Yes, there was still a lot of craftsmanship in the macramé (big trend for SS2016), yet the pieces seemed less stiff and rigid. Sheerness, cut-outs, see through and peekaboo added lightness as flounces gave the designs extra fluency.
An army of supermodels on the runway (including ‘our’ Doutzen, but also some modeling’s rising stars and Instagram queens), a Michael Jackson soundtrack, VIP’s (including Gigi Hadid’s beau Joe Jonas and Kendall Jenner’s mom Kris) and all the extra H&M collaboration buzz. If it wasn’t for those head-turning looks, the Balmain show still was the hottest ticket of the week (so far).