Orange and turquoise, gold, tassels, lapis embroideries, criss-crossing ribbons embroidered with ombré beads to contour the body and rustled up into a short, tight, bright cocktail dress that hugs every curve. Of course that litany of luxe belongs to Olivier Rousteing of Balmain, buoyed by the news the label had been invested in by the Mayboola group and evidently ready to party. Not that Olivier gets the chance to, bless. This show was inspired by Olivier scrolling through the holiday snaps of his #BalmainArmy on Instgram – hence the Lo-Fi filter saturated colours and beachy, party vibe, dresses the colour of sea, sand and piña colada hues of tangerine, green and violet. It was all very, very rich – which is what Olivier likes and what his Balmain clients positively adore. Note we haven’t really divided the sexes – they both get the royal treatment here, mixed in a show that made kings and queens of the lot of them. Life’s a beach at Balmain. I just hope Rousteing can have a holiday now.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans
