Balenciaga Fall 2014 Runway Review

The Scene: Kanye West sat front row as models, including Natasha Poly, Hanne Gaby Odiele, Caroline Trentini and Gisele Bündchen, who closed the show, walked the runway.

The Inspiration: A progression of the designer’s Pre-Fall “techno couture.”

The Look: While there are still plenty of people lamenting the departure of Nicolas Ghesquière, Alexander Wang continued to prove that he’s more than a capable replacement. Wang brought his flare for luxurious sportswear by showing some of the season’s strongest outwear. Among the standouts were the series of rounded shoulder coats that opened the show, which came finished with a wide fur strip and hooded (and on occasion, fur-lined) toggle-front jackets. Zippers were also prominently featured on both outerwear and pants, including crisscrossed — washing away any doubt they were anything besides purely ornamental. The rounded shoulder silhouette also made for eye-catching, colorfully striped, open knit dresses and tops, and while Ghesquière was one of the best when it came to cutting trousers, this season’s straight leg trousers gave his a run for their money. Also worth singling out were the flared dresses as well as the textured coats and jackets that came topped with a nameplate belt.

The Accessories: Bags came in small and medium structured sizes and mimicked the look of shopping bags (a point hit home by having the models walking out holding two in one hand), though considering they came in animal skin, they were considerably more highbrow than Jil Sander’s version. Shoes included wedged and pointed short booties, square-toe pumps and pointed over-the-knee black boots.

The Beauty: To keep the focus on the clothes, hair was parted in the middle and tightly pulled back, while makeup was kept on the bare side.

The Takeaway: Wang seems perfectly poised to meld signature Balenciaga (i.e. the rounded shoulders) with his streetwear aesthetic (i.e. the nameplate belts).

All images: IMAXtree