fashionologie

Glamorous Ghouls and Gorgeous Girls - Backstage at Lanvin, Dior, Balmain, Carven, and Rick Owens

Christina Perez — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 18:58:06 PDT

>> Lanvin, Dior, Balmain, Carven, Rick Owens - the past few days of Paris Fashion Week have been busy ones, so it's no wonder that the backstage mood has been just as high-energy as ever. The ladies of Lanvin played up the mystique with giant fans and new-wave shades; the girls at Dior looked demure in ladylike lipstick and super-sweet poses; and there was plenty of playful frolicking - not to mention an eye-catching array of candy-hued shoes - at Carven. Balmain offered up a dose of rock n' roll glamour with gilded shorts and heavy hardware, while the ethereal vibe at Rick Owens made for lots of ghoulish creeping. All the behind-the-scenes action and more, here in the slideshow.

Photos by Greg Kessler

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Olivier Rousteing's Debut Balmain Collection Deemed "a Hit" by Critics

fashionologie — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:01:13 PDT

>> In his Las Vegas-inspired debut at Balmain earlier today, 26-year-old Olivier Rousteing has won himself a few new fans. "Viva Las Vegas…and budding young fashion talent," WWD wrote.

Rousteing said he wished to turn the label away from holey T-shirts and tattered jeans to give more focus to the Balmain's couture roots, and his efforts were rewarded. The Wall Street Journal's Christina Binkley noted: "From the look of things, Mr. Rousteing has a bright future." "I think he did great," said Bergdorf Goodman fashion director Linda Fargo as she exited the show. And Suzy Menkes called the collection "a hit": "Mr. Rousteing proved his weight in the gold he scattered so liberally on the collection."

Balmain Spring 2012

fashionologie — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:46:07 PDT

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Watch Abbey Lee Kershaw in a Preview Video of Balmain's New Diffusion Line, Pierre Balmain

fashionologie — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 11:59:05 PDT

>> In anticipation of the Pierre Balmain diffusion line's launch on Sunday, Balmain has released the first of three videos featuring Abbey Lee Kershaw, her boyfriend, Matthew Hutchinson, and their band, Our Mountain. Directed by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, the video follows the band around New York City - set to their single, "Devils Banquet" - and gives peeks at the cropped jeans and zebra print tops that populate Pierre Balmain's debut Spring 2012 collection. The second video, focusing on Hutchinson in the line's menswear, will be released on Friday on the Pierre Balmain Tumblr, followed by the full-length version of the video next Monday, Oct. 3.

A First Look at Balmain's More Affordable Line, Pierre Balmain

fashionologie — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 06:57:16 PDT

>> Balmain's new, more affordable line, Pierre Balmain, doesn't start hitting stores until early December, but a first look at the debut collection, for Spring 2012 - is in order.

The new line covers everything from eveningwear to daywear, tailoring to jeans, and will be created by a separate design team from Olivier Rousteing, who is set to concentrate exclusively on the higher-end Balmain label. As Balmain chairman and CEO Alain Hivelin explains the dichotomy, Rousteing will make the “quintessentially Parisian” main collection “even more sophisticated and couture-like - without, of course, renouncing that ‘rock’ aesthetic that has been so important for us these the last few years." Whereas: "The Pierre Balmain collection translates the codes of Balmain in a more casual and relaxed manner ... We see Pierre Balmain as a new and distinct brand that is inspired by the successes and history of a great house, but offers a look and product that respond to the needs and desires of today’s marketplace.”

Prices for Pierre Balmain - in light of the Balmain mainline's infamously sky-high prices - are to range from 120 euros ($172) for T-shirts and 250 euros ($363) for jeans up to 900 euros ($1,291) for eveningwear.

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Details on Balmain's Upcoming, More Affordable Line

fashionologie — Mon, 23 May 2011 08:53:26 PDT

>> Balmain has confirmed that it has a diffusion line in the works - to be called Pierre Balmain, after the house's founder. The line, which will encompass both women's and men's wear, will be created by a separate design studio, overseen by the house and its new designer, Olivier Rousteing.

An official launch presentation for Pierre Belmain is expected in September - possibly in New York, which would likely coincide with Fashion Week. A spokesperson confirmed that the new range "will be younger"; it is also anticipated that it will have more accessible price points.

Olivier Rousteing Confirmed as Balmain's New Designer

fashionologie — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 08:56:21 PDT

>> As suggested last week, Olivier Rousteing, a key deputy of Christophe Decarnin at Balmain, was just confirmed as the house's new designer. He will supervise the design and development of both men's and women's ready-to-wear collections, and will reportedly not give any interviews prior to the debut of his Spring 2012 collection later this year.

According to the press release, Rousteing had been in charge of Balmain's womenswear studio since 2009 and previously spent five years at Roberto Cavalli, where he was promoted to designer of women’s and men’s ready-to-wear collections. He is French-born, was raised in Bordeaux, and completed his fashion studies at ESMOD in Paris in 2003.

Karl Lagerfeld on Cutting His Hair, Christophe Decarnin, and Who He'd Like to See at Dior

fashionologie — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 13:29:38 PDT

>> Karl Lagerfeld has never been one to hold verbal punches, and his recent conversation with W - in which he tells us how he really feels about Christophe Decarnin, explains why he doesn't use computers, and vouches for which designers he would like to see at Dior - is no exception.

A few highlights, below.

On whether he'll ever cut his hair: "No, because I’m afraid it won’t grow again. And I’m not very gifted for hairdos. This is the quickest thing in the world. It takes less than five seconds. I have someone who comes to the house and washes it, puts in the dry shampoo, and takes care of it because I have no time. I don’t even have time to go to the dentist. I’m busy but in a pleasant way. I’m the one who wanted to do all of it, so I can’t complain."

On who he wants to see take over at Givenchy: "Well I’m not a consultant there, but I think Riccardo Tisci would be good, and then Haider Ackermann at Givenchy - not because they are friends of mine, but because they are good."

And if he still wants Haider Ackermann to take over at Chanel: "Not especially. It’s not his world I don’t think."

His thoughts on Christophe Decarnin leaving Balmain: "Forget about it! This was a job done by a fashion editor. I don’t even know the name of the man who did it, so don’t ask me about that."

On why he doesn't use a computer and instead communicates by fax: "It’s very easy to explain: For me, sketching and writing are the same thing. I like to write. It’s a physical thing - I hate to be without paper and pencil in hand. And I write like a talk. I can put my way of talking on the paper exactly the same way. The machines they tried to make where you write directly on computers are not perfect. The minute they’re perfect, I will use them."

The one thing he doesn't like women to wear: "I’m not mad for thongs."

On whether he takes vacations: "I’m not an employee who goes to the office every morning at the same time. Then, vacations are not needed. I’m like a rock singer with one-night stands on the road. I’m here for two days in New York; I leave in the morning early. I come back for Anna Wintour’s party at the Met, then again at the end of May for a prize I get from the Gordon Parks Foundation. I’m lucky that I can do all these things in the best conditions. I don’t have to struggle for that. I don’t have to discuss budgets. I don’t do meetings. At Chanel, there are no meetings. At Chanel, we do what we want, whenever we want and it works. And Fendi is the same."

On not eating or craving sugar: "I like chocolate. I don’t eat it, but I like the smell of it. People can drink with their eyes; I can eat with my nose. I would love to have a perfume based on chocolate."

Olivier Rousteing Likely Christophe Decarnin's Replacement at Balmain

fashionologie — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 08:56:40 PDT

>> After reports that Balmain would go with an internal candidate to replace Christophe Decarnin, now comes news that Olivier Rousteing, a key deputy of Decarnin's - not Melanie Ward, as previously suggested - is likely the designer of choice. The contract is in the process, and Rousteing's appointment is expected to be announced as early as next week. Rousteing, "a young and promising creative dynamo," according to WWD's sources, has worked at Balmain since 2009 and was at Roberto Cavalli in Milan for almost six years before that. And as WWD points out, "promoting a number two has become a popular succession strategy in fashion in recent years as the importance of star designers has waned" - take Hannah MacGibbon at Chloe or Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli at Valentino, for example. [WWD]

Christophe Decarnin Out at Balmain, and Not Just Because of His Show Absence

fashionologie — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 07:11:58 PDT

>> Christophe Decarnin, who joined Balmain as a designer in 2005 and was named creative director of women's ready-to-wear in November 2007, has left the brand, effective immediately. A successor - an internal candidate is reportedly the frontrunner - is expected to be named next week.

Stylist Melanie Ward, who helped pull together the Fall 2011 collection under Decarnin's directives starting three weeks before the show, is Cathy Horyn's suggestion for successor. She has the experience: she was creative director of Helmut Lang for 13 years, when the namesake designer was still at that label.

Decarnin's exit is not a surprise, given his absence from the Fall 2011 show, due to doctor's orders after seeking treatment for depression. However, WWD reports that sources close to the designer say the state of Decarnin's mental health was overblown. A Balmain rep corroborates that the designer's depression wasn't the cause of his exit, saying this morning that Decarnin's absence from the show "is not the reason, but everything is related" and instead citing "work differences . . . that I cannot comment on."

Tensions between Decarnin and Balmain chairman and CEO Alain Hivelin had reached a breaking point by the time of the show, WWD reports, with each man holding widely divergent views of company strategy and direction. Hivelin cited a desire to keep a tight rein on distribution of the top line, which has had sales growth in excess of 50 percent in recent years, but was also quietly testing future avenues of growth for the brand - including a less-expensive line, Balmain Blue, that reportedly irked Decarnin and was never brought to market.

With Decarnin gone, it looks like that line may be brought back in some form: Ittierre, which produces diffusion collections like C’N’C Costume National and Just Cavalli (as well as Galliano), has reportedly secured a license with Balmain, although both companies have remained mum on the subject.