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Spring/Summer 2008 Ready-To-Wear


location Paris, 02 Oct 2007

WHO but Nicolas Ghesquiere at <a href="#" onclick="'/vogue_daily/popup.asp?keyword=balenciaga','search', 'toolbar=0,status=no,menuBar=0,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,width=250,height=450,left=10,top=100')" class="maintextimageu"> Balenciaga has the power to challenge, delight and induce adult women to unleash their inner six-year-old ("<I>That</I>'s what I want to be when I grow up!"), in equal measure? The alchemy of Ghesquiere's vision married to the heritage of the house is as close as you're going to get to directional fashion perfection – something patently evident at this morning's show, where Catherine Deneuve sat front-row on the WWII-era floral carpet.

This season, Ghesquiere took the seemingly oppositional forces of Couture and sportswear and melded them into a uniform for the modern, multi-tasking woman; flowers bloomed noisily over matchy-matchy two pieces, which came stiffened into a glorious cocoon thanks to a heavy injection of latex. Why work so hard to achieve an hourglass figure, hums a Balenciaga girl, when I can just pull one on and be done with it? <I>I've</I> got better things to do with my time…

Exaggerated stitches marked out painstaking construction, hemlines remained short and necklines high, while an emphasis was placed on short sleeves that stuck out as bold armour or rippled into two gorgeous, spherical flower heads. And where do we even begin with the shoes? The spike-heeled, multi-coloured, lace-up, peep-toe knee-highs that knocked each look just the right distance off-kilter deserve a whole report to themselves.

As the show culminated in a series of robotic metallic trouser-suits, there was a palpable incredulity among the audience. Ghesquiere's triumph? Creating a collection that regenerates itself from scratch into something utterly unique each season, while simultaneously ensuring you'd never fail to recognise a Balenciaga girl - should you be lucky enough to come across one. (October 2 2007, AM)

Leisa Barnett


Spring/Summer 2008 Ready-To-Wear