Scene setting: In March, Vetements creative director Demna Gvasalia announced that his brand was moving its studio from Paris to Zurich. Gvasalia also took the creative helm of Balenciaga in October 2015, and the leafy park location of the Paris house’s S/S 2018 men’s show echoed his new base in Switzerland. Adding to the idyll, models in the show included real life fathers who walked the gravel path runway holding their children in their arms or by their hands. Balenciaga’s dads came dressed in double-breasted suits, everyday jeans and leather coats –- the stylistic tropes of normal fathers on the run from the the office to the school gates.
Mood board: Fathers aside, models in the show walked in oversized eighties jackets, striped shirts and jeans, rodeo fringed leather jacket, Hawaiian shirts and nineties Gabba style stonewashed jeans and anoraks. Gvasalia is known for elevating ‘normal’ clothes – like the hoody, the jean, and the polo shirt. The familiar striped leather shopping bags from Balenciaga’s S/S 2017 collection clock in at over £1,000. For S/S 2018, familiar shapes like hoodies, were elevated with youthful slogans including ‘the power of dreams’, aptly worn by children within the show.
Finishing touches: Layering was key. Trousers resembled ones that had been piled on top of each other three times over, polo-shirts were double layered, while other looks featured a final layer of a clear plastic poncho. What father wouldn’t have one in his rucksack in case of rain?