Balenciaga Closes Fashion Show with Surreal Bridal Look

Founded in San Sebastian, fashion house Balenciaga presented a chromed suit of armor as the bridal gown to close its haute couture autumn-winter 2023-2024 fashion show in Paris on Wednesday, July 5th.

The bride was "armored." At noon on Wednesday, the atmosphere was solemn at Balenciaga. The brand, founded in 1937 by Cristobal Balenciaga, presented its latest collection in its historic salons at 10 Avenue George-V, in the purest tradition of haute couture. Except for the bridal gown. While spectators may have been surprised by the appearances of Ines de la Fressange or a wide-eyed Isabelle Huppert on the runway, designer Demna saved his biggest sartorial surprise for the final passage, traditionally reserved for the bridal outfit. Instead of the traditional white dress, the artistic director substituted a rigid and silver suit of armor. It was Eliza Douglas, an artist and Demna's favorite model, who had the task of presenting the piece. For nearly three minutes, she embarked on a slow procession accompanied by the voice of Maria Callas, offering a surreal conclusion to the fashion show.

With plush carpeting, golden chairs, and heavy curtains, all the ingredients of haute couture seem to be present in the Balenciaga salons this afternoon. The show even opens with Danielle Slavik, a 76-year-old model who once worked with the master himself. However, one should not be fooled by this perfect reenactment; the artistic director Demna's intention is to embrace the codes of haute couture in order to reinvent them. This is particularly evident in the strong aesthetic that aligns with the designer's announced direction, aiming to bring garments back to the forefront after the controversy sparked by two Balenciaga ad campaigns last winter. This martial and gleaming bridal gown made of chromed resin is a testament to that. It required nine hundred hours of work. Freely inspired by historical pieces and 3D-printed in multiple parts, with two parts invisibly linked for the skirt, the garment is held together by screws. It is a bodywork that undoubtedly captures attention.