>>  Is Nicholas Ghesquiere getting starstruck?  For the second season in a row, he's chosen to go celebrity: Jennifer Connelly for Spring, and now Charlotte Gainsbourg for Fall. 

Granted, both women embody the Ghesquiere girl — Charlotte is well-known to be his muse, and Jennifer a good friend — but to hear him describe the reasoning behind his choice is striking, considering that he has built Balenciaga to be a true blue fashion-for-the-sake-of-fashion label, rather than a fashion label devoted to upping its star wattage.  Behold, he sounds smitten with actresses:

They are used to playing characters and go deeper into the image.  There's definitely a celebrity effect when you shoot an actress. There's a real frisson.

The Spring 2009 campaign cast will tell us all — three makes a trend.  Until then, enjoy the first look at the Fall 2008 Balenciaga campaign, shot by David Sims and featuring an archly posed Charlotte Gainsbourg, with the new Balenciaga store in LA forming the backdrop.
*image: source