One thing is certain, that designer Nicolas Ghesquière respects and understands tradition and honors the foundation that Cristobal Balenciaga created. For his Fall/Winter collection Ghesquière refers to the Balenciaga archives from the late 50’s and early 60’s. The look he takes is the classic Balenciaga bubble jackets. The opening section was a tribute to the bubble jacket, a shape we have seen become a trend for the season. The shape is used in outerwear pieces to skirt and even the short dresses. The only real low point of the collection was Ghesquière use of the over used skinny leg pants.
In the opening section Ghesquière showed several plaid wool jackets with matching skirts. One of the strongest look was the brown plaid wool matching collarless jacket and ruffle shape skirt. Worn with a black legging and brown leather gloves, a very feminine look but certainly a elegant look. Another strong look in the opening section is the white/black wool hounds tooth Peter Pan collar jacket and matching ruffle shape skirt. The skirt fabric is folded at the underside creating a ruffle shape around the entire skirt.
For the second section Ghesquière showed more white and cream looks. Playing with prints and keeping with the shapes from the opening section. One of the strongest looks is a black plaid print on white wool jacket with a rolled collar and matching ruffle shape skirt. Underneath the jacket was a black and teal herringbone knit cashmere cardigan.
In the third section Ghesquière took the bubble shape coat another step creating more detailed looks and pieces. Adding quilting, beading and embroidery. One the standout pieces in this section is combination of these textures. A quilted white satin top with the bodice covered in beading and embroidery. The waistline of the top is tied off with black velvet ribbon and top is hemmed with a thick section of quilted white silk satin folded in a ruffle shape. A very decadent top but certainly a classic piece. Another strong look was a white silk jersey dress, tightly fitted and hemmed at the knee with a thick band around the breast line.
Although Ghesquière showed several matching jackets, he also showed several overcoats that’s really jumped out in this collection. First is the white wool overcoat, Ghesquière tailored the coat with a bubble shape around the body of the coat and the ¾ length sleeves. Another strong outerwear piece was the black wool overcoat that is lined with a cream wool insert has a draping collar which Nicolas rolled the collar up creating a pillow shape around the neck of the coat. For the closing section, Ghesquière abandoned the classic bubble shape and opted for a very clean and clingy shape. Showing several jersey dresses accented with contrast fabric bands around the breast line and topped off with pashmina scarf’s.
The must have looks from the collection were two white looks. The first look was from the quilted section, a quilted white satin skirt and matching jacket. The skirt is the ruffle shape Nicolas used through out the collection. The front of the skirt is beaded with embroidery over the quilted fabric. The jacket is cropped above the waist; the sleeves are tightly fitted and then loosen into a bubble shape at the cuff. The collar of the jacket is a large drape of fabric over the shoulders and black of the jacket. A unique but a very strong look! The other must have look is one of few knitwear pieces in the collection. A cream cashmere cable knit sweater with a ribbed knit used for the neckline and turtleneck. The sweater is worn with a cream silk taffeta ruffle shape skirt; the hem of the skirt is printed with the black plaid print.
A subtle genius, which is what Nicolas Ghesquière, is to the world of fashion. His respect to the life force of Balenciaga in this collection is outstanding. Although Ghesquière is faithful to the Balenciaga vision, Nicolas continues to craft his skill into the collection. Molding some of the most original pieces in the House of Balenciaga history. Bravo Monsieur Ghesquière!
view collection here
[images via style]
For Fall/Winter Anna Molinari takes Blumarine into a period of morning. The opening section is all black except for two print dresses in fuchsia and red and then closing with a few leopard print dresses. Molinari keeps the looks short in length, keeping the skirt lengths just above the knee. The second section moves to dark and light gray looks. The silhouette is a little tighter on the body but Molinari kept the models covered with the skirts to the knee and heavy knit leggings. One of the standout looks is long sleeve jersey knit knee-length dress. The fabric is gathered at hip and twisted into a criss-cross creating a tight fit to the hip. The third section is a little more decadent with rich taffeta fabrics, faux furs and rich splashes of color like red, emerald green and purple. Molinari kept her pants tight on the leg and opted to not show a lot of outerwear pieces for Fall. One of the key print looks is the black and white leopard print on silk chiffon. One of the key looks using this print is a matching silk chiffon pencil skirt and short sleeve blouse with a ruffle-trimmed sleeve. 
The must have pieces from the collection are two of Molinari’s dresses in a shocking color. First is the red and fuchsia floral print on silk taffeta. The dress belted at the waist with a jeweled ruby red belt. The other must look is a emerald green silk satin cocktail dress with a plunging v-neckline. Worn with the dress is one of Molinari’s heavy costume necklaces reminiscent of classic Cartier pieces. The collection is very simple and still young, but in dark sophisticated palette. Missing form the collection is the color that was only hinted on in the latter half of the collection. Although I missed the color Molinari presented several classic statement pieces and looks for the season. Her prints are the heart of the collection and the most editorial pieces we will see for Fall/Winter spreads. Bravo Madame Molinari!
