After a DISASTROUS turn from the Balmain Fall 2020 RTW collection and a major Resort 2021 collection I was happy to see Olivier Rousting have a MAJOR success on his hands for the brands Spring 2021 RTW presentation during Paris Fashion Week. It was one of the more business as usual collections of the season and I adored it. It felt like he was paying his homage to those who came before him not just including the house founder Pierre Balmain, but also Pierre Cardin and his mentor and the previous Balmain creative director Christophe Decarnin. The story of Balmain has always been about excess and that is exactly what we see come from this collection. It was all about 80’s and 90’s glamour. It embraced the supermodel set that Decarnin loved so much. It reinterpreted the 1970’s Pierre Balmain monogram and Cardin’s Pagoda shoulders inspiration and did so in such a modern breath of fresh air. While most of the season we saw designer’s whose bread and butter are based in glamour and evening wear shy away from that and deliver more of a casual look. The Balmain woman doesn’t know what the word casual means. This collection was a perfect way to idolize and hope for brighter and more glamorous tomorrows in the midst of the global pandemic. The show was staged live but due to COVID-19 travel restrictions most of the “front row” was there virtually on giant television screens. Anna Wintour, Jennifer Lopez, and Kim Kardashian were just some of the 40ish guests who “Zoomed” in to watch the show. Below you are going to find some of the wishes I have to immediately see brought to life on a red carpet.  The collection opened in vibrant style with a highlighter pink power suit which featured a padded pagoda shoulder jersey long double breasted blazer, an asymmetric draped jersey mini dress worn as a tunic,  and a pair of slim fit flared pants. It is a major lesson in redefining the power suit. It is bold, cool, and sexy while still being covered and mostly modest. I would love to see the gorgeous Jodie Turner Smith bring this look to life on the red carpet. In what we have gotten to see of Jodie’s style so far I know that she loves bold color and strong looks. I can definitely see this being a super cool moment for her to bring to life on a red carpet especially if styled with a high cropped hairstyle, thick defined eyes, dark berry glossy lips, a pair of fluorescent pink Christian Louboutin ‘Degrastrass 100’ crystal embellished suede and PVC pointed toe pumps, and simple yet glamorous Yeprem ‘Y-Conic’ white diamond ear huggers.

Talking about power dressing there were still some superb “casual” moments in this collection as well. I would definitely like to see many of them rocked for more casual appearances, when they start to happen again. One of my favorite of the more casual moments we saw in this collection was the white monogrammed guipure lace pagoda shoulder mini jacket dress belted and worn as a blazer over a pair of fitted flared light was jeans. Now I had a bit of a hard time coming up with the person to bring this look to life, but the moment I thought of Michelle Obama wearing this look for a talk show appearance I was SOLD. I have loved seeing Michelle’s style evolve to being much more edgy and glam than classically elegant as she was when she was First Lady. I would LOVE to see Michelle style this suit with a strapless white Wolford ‘Fatal’ tube top, soft waves, defined eyes, bold red lips, white Bottega Veneta ‘BV Point’ rolled leather pointed toe slingback pumps, and a pair of 14k gold and white pearl Mateo New York semi circle geometric drop earrings. It would definitely continue to redefine power dressing. Olivier didn’t have his usual show during Paris Men’s Fashion Week over the summer. Due to COVID that event went digital and while he is the master of social I think that he really loves a runway show. So we saw him included his Spring 2021 Menswear collection with his womenswear. The virtual front row was packed with with Balmain devotees including Maluma, Usher, and Machine Gun Kelly. Any of them could rock the black cropped jacket tuxedo ensemble shown above, but immediately Timothee Chalamet came to mind. I feel like this look does speak to his sense of style for sure and should any of his projects get a release over the next couple of months I definitely think this should be an option for a red carpet premiere especially if he styled it with a pair of black leather Christian Louboutin ‘Will Buckle’ buckled spat ankle boots.

One of my absolute favorite looks from the collection were the draped crystal mesh cap sleeve cropped tops finished with a raw hem paired with high waisted light was denim over the knee fitted shorts. The tops were shown in three different colorways: silver, lime, and raspberry. The raspberry definitely spoke the most to me. It is a super cool look and a cool girl is definitely needed to make this look come to life. So I would send it to the ultimate cool girl, Zoe Kravitz. Her cropped pixie, defined eyes, dark rose pink lips, and a pair of black strappy Gianvito Rossi lace up ankle high sandals would definitely make sure that this look oozes cool girl glamour from head to toe. Now the gowns that Olivier showed were more basic than I would come to expect. Now with that being said I still think they would be super glamorous. This black crystal embellished high slit column gown which features plunging neckline with a sheer modesty panel is easily one of my favorites. Now the wish I have this look might come as a bit of a surprise. I would love to see Kristen Stewart bring this look to life on the red carpet. It is sexy and glamorous. Classic in the most modern way. I feel like that is what Kristen does the best. A coif spiked updo, defined eyes, bold red lips, a pair of black Christian Louboutin ‘Galativi P Strass 100’ crystal embellished mesh paneled pointed toe pumps, and a selection of Chanel Haute Jewelry including a statement ‘1932’ white diamond layered fringe collar necklace and a teardrop white diamond cuff bracelet would make it the perfect mesh of edge and glamour.

The final look in this set of wishes and review is this look that meshes business power dressing with sexy party girl glamour. This silver crystal embellished jumpsuit which features a think strap halter, plunging neckline, and a flared pant leg paired with a black longline jersey pagoda shoulder blazer with a single gold button, and an oversized white button down just oozes cool girl glamour, as the Balmain woman typically does. I am obsessed with this look and I really want to see Charlize Theron bring it to life on a red carpet. I feel like it would be a good out of Dior moment for her really letting her sexy yet boss side flow. I know she would own it on the red carpet especially styled with a chic pixie, defined eyes, glossy blush pink lips, a black crystal embellished Jimmy Choo ‘Cloud’ clutch with a crystal clasp, a pair of black and silver crystal embellished Aquazzura ‘Bow Tie’ pointed toe pumps, and a glamorous white diamond Harry Winston asymmetrical necklace. What do you think about this collection? Who would you like to see bring looks from this collection to life on the red carpet? You can hear me and my podcast partner in crime debate about this collection on our podcast The Fashion Forward Friends now streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.