March 5, 2026 |
Antonin Tron has arrived at Balmain. The designer takes over from Olivier Rousteing, who not only founded a Balmain Army, but dressed a generation of fierce glamazons. Tron, who arrives at the house via Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and his own brand Atlein, brought a sexy sophistication to the catwalk, with lashing of leather, animalia knits and cocktail dressing. It was fit for the Balmain woman who takes dressing up seriously.
Tron went back to the source for inspiration, studying Pierre Balmain’s archive and autobiography.
Balmain was a contemporary of Christian Dior, they worked together at Lelong, before each launched their houses. Balmain launched first, in 1945, as France looked to revive haute couture after the Second World War and fashion was a major part of its national recovery plan.
He proposed a confident take on chic aimed at a women with a leading lady mentality – Brigitte Bardot, Marlene Dietrich, Ava Gardner, Judy Garland and Josephine Baker all wore Balmain.
Tron described his Balmain woman as “unapologetic.” She’s also a fan of ’40s/’80s style, strong shoulders, nipped waists, peplums, classic trenches, pencil skirts and tiger and leopard jacquard. Tron’s new Balmain woman walks on the wild side but operates within the restraints of a strict silhouette. He deftly balanced strength with glamour and even threw in the odd gold buttoned jacket to keep the faithful happy. His look was restrained but sensual. In place of the heavy embellishment of yore, he served sumptuous silks, supple leather and velvet in curving cuts designed to enhance the female form. His military inspired pockets and detailing owed less to Michael Jackson’s costume extravaganza and more to Helmut Lang’s pared back restraint. He calls it “minimal opulence”. Confident, precise and feminine, a new Balmain woman is on the march.
Photography courtesy of Balmain.
