Mood board: Demna Gvasalia’s second menswear outing at Balenciaga culminated in corporate powerhouse shapes, from boxy double-breasted suits and overcoats to slogan printed ties, mixed with sporty outerwear, and stompy motocross boots.
Best in show: Cristobal Balenciaga was renowned for his creation of the women’s cocoon shaped coat in 1957, and this silhouette was echoed in the shape of an MA-1 bomber jacket, which had a collar reaching to the top of the neck.
Finishing touches: With corporate symbols in mind, Gvasalia gave the red white and blue typography of Bernie Sanders’ election campaign a Balenciaga sloganed makeover, and emblazoned it on oversized quilted scarves and lapel pins. Unusual and witty attention was also given to Kering, the luxury conglomerate that owns the Parisian house, with Gvasalia printing hooded sweatshirts with its logo. For womenswear last season, Gvasalia gave luxury appeal to mundane striped laundry bags, and for men he again nodded to seemingly normal silhouettes, reimagining paper shopping bags in black and white leather.
