Is Balenciaga Even Making Haute Couture Anymore? (Fall 2024 Couture Review)
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- Опубліковано 6 лип 2024
- Hi guys, in today’s video I am reviewing Balenciaga’s latest Fall Winter 2024 Haute Couture Runway Show / Collection designed by Balenciaga’s current creative director Demna Gvasalia.
The Balenciaga show was soundtracked by a guided meditation. “In today’s session we will learn a pathway towards a happier life,” it began. We were encouraged to slow our breathing, to picture a color we associate with happiness, imagine that color as a cloud, and “feel the fresh air and all the positive energies coming in.” The guide reminded us that joy is a state of being we can cultivate, through empathy and compassion, and the release of negative thoughts. It was not all that different from the meditation Demna listens to daily; he does it, he explained, “to find this kind of Bluetooth within myself to my creativity.”This was the Balenciaga creative director’s fourth haute couture collection, and his most subversive in its rejection of the formality and fineries typical of the metier, if not Cristóbal Balenciaga’s silhouettes. Demna took up the couturier’s 3/4-length sleeves, cocoon shapes, and elaborate headwear, only instead of the gazar and other fabrics that Balenciaga relied on, he turned to the materials of his own practice these last 10 years: denim, leather, track suits and technical outerwear, and the hoodie, bien sûr, bonding them to a satin scuba material that helped him achieve his sculpted forms.“I wanted to create a fusion or a tribute to my personal vocabulary as a designer, which is subcultures… but I needed to bring in that kind of equilibrium with Cristóbal, obviously, because this is couture,” he said. The first mashup combined a sculpted oversize gray tee and slouchy faded jeans engineered to look like a jacket was tied around the waist, with a saucer hat of the kind he introduced in his couture debut-call it Demnaiaga.A black puffer, a gray sweatsuit, and a lumberjack shirt, among other things, all got the same treatment: curving sleeves in a perma-scrunch north of the wrists, with a saucer hat, pants with those built-in jackets suspended from the waist, and witchy boots for punctuation. “I think it’s important to bring these textures into couture,” said Demna, “so it’s not just satin and tulle, but other materials that need to become part of the couture vocabulary, at least in my work.” The metal head T-shirts, he pointed out, were hand-painted in oil, with Balenciaga cast members playing the rock-’n’-rollers’ parts. As the show progressed, it moved into the fancy evening silhouettes associated with couture, only they were patchworked together from denim and colorful parkas that looked like they could’ve been repurposed from Demna’s earlier collections for the house. Or he constructed them with new fabrics and techniques; one column dress was made from melted plastic shopping bags molded onto the body-you could see a stray barcode here and there-and a strapless number was constructed with golden aluminum foil.These pieces asked you to reconsider the ways in which we ascribe value to clothing and why we consider one thing and not the other to be precious-provocative questions in a world with too much stuff. A dress of flocked leather Demna described as a “wearable jewelry display” for a 1960 necklace by Cristóbal himself that was released from the archives for the show demonstrated a healthy respect for the house and all the work that has come before.The final look was a swirling mass of black nylon, chosen because it best evoked Cristóbal’s precious gazar. It was constructed just prior to the show, a one-off piece of “ephemeral couture” that will come with three Balenciaga staffers for its assembly for the client who buys it. Outside on the Avenue George V afterward, an elite stylist wondered if it represented the jumble of negative thoughts you toss out of your head at the end of a productive meditation session. It was not the reading that Demna offered backstage, but I bet he’d like it.
#fashion #luxury #balenciaga #hautecouture
0:00 Intro
2:27 What Is Modern Haute Couture
12:52 Runway Show Analysis
32:01 Shownotes Analysis - Розваги
Here totally supporting Miguel ✊✊✊
The inspiration is 100% early 90’s grunge. Every outfit is from the 90’s. The beast coat, the flannels, the tying of clothes, the recycling … it ALL grunge. How is this not obvious to everyone? I’m sure Anna noticed.
It’s not like we don’t see it, it’s just a very over commodified - pre packed and spit it back out version of the subculture | anytime a subculture is reduced to a few mainstream style signifiers it comes across as not genuine. What about the collection really embodies the spirit of grunge? The music? The set? The guests? It Reminds me of designers / celebrities that say they’re punks because they put a few safety pins in their clothes which always falls flat because being punk is more than just a few mainstream style signifiers over-commodified in the context of a runway show for one of the biggest luxury houses in the world. This is also added to the context of the fact he’s had way better interpretations of grunge in earlier Balenciaga collections and most certainly at Vetements.
thats just an excuse to make cr ap clothes
@@FashionRoadmansorry, wasn’t trying to have a go at you or the channel. Was reacting to Demna’s comments. To me he seemed to exclude this very specific early 90’s Seattle grunge inspiration and is trying to make it about several subcultures, “No Demna, you picked one, not several.” agree that the inspiration falls flat as haute couture. I feel like JW Anderson is exploring similar “sculptural” clothes and innovative materials at Loewe, without the Haute Couture price tag. But I’m just some jerk on the internet 👍😉👍
Edit: Seattle grnge was really just a few years in the early 90s and gave way to rave and boho before moving into Kate 90’s boy/girl band trends
@1:26:09 ⚠️SILVER TONED BRASS!!!
😂
😁
Only the best.
You are always on point.
0:00 Intro
2:27 What Is Modern Haute Couture
12:52 Runway Show Analysis
32:01 Shownotes Analysis
I have a theory, Demna is the Michael Bay of fashion. Love or hate his vision/style it’s super recognisable - check; rabid fan base - check; style over substance - check; culturally important no matter the quality - check;
Definitely the worst Demna's couture. The lack of innovative idea like the previous collections is too apparent. Peter Copping departure is already putting Balenciaga in jeopardize.
Your outfit is so good 🔥🔥🔥
Silver tone brass X 10.
I can’t believe this is couture! The wear once dress with 47metres of landfill nylon is just infuriating to me, it’s not even in a biodegradable fabric!! Such unoriginal design from someone who should be such an innovator is really shocking! The stacks of clothes on top of each other and the waistbands have as you so rightly point out Ayo, has been done before remember Victor & Rolf?! & much more cleverly & in a fantastic multi functional way by Glen Martens Y project seasons ago and not forgetting master upcycler, Hodakova… all these designers must be infuriated… 😮
keep speaking out on this
Silver toned brass 📢 💥
To me it would be more pure if it were actually Demna’s own collection . I agree this lense on it is relevant to current times and how we dress it just seems so personal to him not the house of Balenciaga… it would resonate as VETEMENTS COUTURE . That being said , his first Balenciaga Couture collection was amazing.
Silver toned brass 😂
I am just hoping after the show is over, many of those pieces are biodegradable!
I just read that the couture was designed till recently by Peter Copping
Yup!
Pier Paulo for Balenciaga
The technique is there however, what else is there? Doesn’t seem like he’s thinking about much lol. There’s seemingly a lot of designers that are having this issue. Unless you’re like Karl with Millions of idea, you will burn out. But obviously, that’s a capitalist issue.
20:03 I don’t see it In the haute couture but I see it in the ready wear 100% with the hand printed Death metal Bootleg or the oversized shoes with the tracksuits and the use of Under Armour in general
I 100% see what you mean though when you bring it back 21:36 and I agree though
1:25:21 FACTS
The best part about this collection is the hats. Some selected coats were good. The rest hot mess.
I must be the only one who likes the under armour collab 😭I like simplicity sometimes and I have interests in it visually, it like makes me think about the word Sonder and LogoMania
I know little about fashion but Ill say: NO!, could these guys leave street wear to actual street wear brands?
I agree that he may be bored of couture. This could have been used to their advantage -- if couture is expected as a season, is it truly rare? The revival of couture as limited edition would have been the most couture of all.
Excellent commentary. I don't think this looks like couture.
I loved when he reworked those hats a while back, but for fuk sake do something new. I love the concept of the new concept of what couture is, but gd it’s just so pedestrian even if it is hand panted t shirts made out of metal etc. etc. Give me life, give me something fresh.
Yet another mediocre collection with nothing new to say, just more shock jockey stunts that have nothing of substance. Trying to be blasé and above it all while looking down at “fashion victims” that make up the rest of the couture calendar. Demna just does not have the range to do couture he did one good collection and the ideas just ran dry, everything after the first one became nothing more than stunts to get attention. At some point the garments have to stand on their own without the stunts and these rags tied together don’t.
i know it's hated but i really liked this show because it was aesthetically pleasing, as simple as that. i dont really know much about couture but i do get the feeling that maybe most of the pieces weren't couture. but i see how that can be turned into the question of what couture is.
I think its a very creative rtw collection. But not Haute Couture
I think its unfair to judge a collection of couture from far away, saying Demna don't understand what street wear is... is just ignorant... he has proven himself many times... its just creative direction. Gucci is doing jeans and bomber jackets but nobody says nothing. The idea of what's cool, what tells a story, and what's different is the whole point. Millionaires will buy clothes that feels relatable, so Demna is giving that. Galliano is doing artisan collections at margiela with literally CARDBOARD, let's discuss that.
No. Its for the round file.
How is this couture? Getting a painter to spend 140 hrs painting a T-shirt is Couture now?
More like a mid ready-to-wear collection.
Hmmm, I understand u being angry at big houses because they prefer money above “art’,, its big company’s , they selling product to people who mostly can not afford the dream of a glamorous imaginary lifestyle, but don’t blame Denma! He just works for the company, and is and will stay , ithe most interesting of all of them! I think for most designers u can say they build on there previous work, its a pity i can not afford it , because i would be so proud, to own any piece! This season or any previous…hi Ayo long time no talk
I also remember Margiela showed a artisanal piece made out of paper balls shaped as a fox hanging around the models neck , which was shown on a student fashion show the year before, same for Walter was not shy to use a students idea … see it as a compliment to the original designer , not that Walter ore Margiela made a million dollars on it !! one maybe 2 pieces where sold probably to a museum..ofcourse this is different when u have huge company’s who commercialise the ideas and make plenty of money on it
This is streetwear and does not look like haute couture to me. Where is the glamour and elevated craftsmanship?
Why do people like commenting Demna’s work do much ?
ROAD MAN, you don’t get it and you never will.
I love this couture collection, it’s like a middle finger in the haute couture industry: different and cool. He still keep the format maybe because the last haute collection sold well. I hope the next will be a new era (like Schiaparelli did this season)
It's more like a middle finger to himself. It's rubbish. Only stupid people would spend so much money on that kind of rubbish.
Sorry but it’s pretty shallow to think that a collection is “cool” just because it’s different. The collection is different yet ugly, messy, and meaningless
at 1:15:30ish bruuuu you’re literally making the same balenciaga review over and over and over saying the same shi you always do it’s actually completely 1000% more boring than demna’s work you should just move on
This work is lazy and boring; stoned postmodernism.
Nonsense that’s what 🙄
The show was a total disaster. Demna is lost in his own character. He wants to push the boundaries, create his own trends, and etc., but he is just showing how lost he is.
Balenciaga is one of the most iconic fashion houses and he is turning it into Supreme mixed with Zara and any skate brand. Awful!
It's awful.
Nobody is buying this shit. I know it's meant to be a marketing tactic, but still, they should hope that at least some rich people want the couture stuff. Nobody would spend that much money for items that they could buy ready-to-wear. There is nothing special about this collection. People spend that much money because they want to show off and feel special. Looking at this collection, it doesn't look special.
This is a hot mess couture
It’s an insult to couture