Show review in a sentence: A step forward, without losing sight of the past
Designer: Pierpaolo Piccioli
Location: 40 Rue de Sévres, Paris
The vibe: Respect and care were the cornerstones of Pierpaolo Piccioli’s approach when he took on the house of Balenciaga, a once-sleeping giant with a formidable legacy shaped by a succession of visionary creative directors, each leaving their distinct mark.
Nicolas Ghesquière made Balenciaga cool and forward-looking, redefining modernity through synthetic materials and architectural cuts. He also gave the world one of fashion’s most enduring icons; the Lariat, better known as the Balenciaga Motorcycle Bag, which became a global sensation. In 2013, Alexander Wang assumed the helm, infusing the house with a youthful, urban energy and a stripped-back sensibility that favoured clean lines over complexity. His tenure, though brief, paved the way for Demna’s arrival in 2015, a turning point that would upend the brand entirely. With a heady mix of streetwear, irony and theatrical showmanship, Demna transformed Balenciaga into a multi-billion-dollar cultural force.
Then comes Piccioli, celebrated for his modern romanticism, painterly command of colour, and breathtaking mastery of sculptural form. His work revels in poetry: plumes that whisper, volumes that envelop, and proportions that border on the divine. Like the great Cristóbal Balenciaga, Piccioli shares an innate understanding of elegance, precision and the emotional potential of fabric. With that, the first model emerged, face half-shielded by crystal bug-eye shades that recalled Demna’s fall/winter 2021 collection. But the outfit was quite another story. The infamous sack dress of 1957 made its return, reimagined as a cascading gown paired with ivory leather opera gloves. Later, it appeared again, this time lobbed off at the hips and worn over trousers like a slouchy T-shirt.
The vision: Piccioli, ever attuned to nuance, seemed aware that it would take time to recalibrate Balenciaga’s current clientele. An audience whose aesthetics may not yet align with his. And so, he tempered his romanticism with restraint: much of the collection remained dark, brooding, almost menacing, punctuated only by flashes of his signature Pink PP and block coloured jewel tones in between. Velvet slippers grounded the more extravagant offerings of shaggy feathered skirts and floral appliqué dresses, while in a nostalgic twist, Ghesquière’s tall hat from 2006, his midriff-baring tank, and the Lariat bag all made a triumphant return before giving way to what felt like a glimpse of Piccioli’s romantic spirit: a filmy draped dress in soft dove grey, followed by a breathtaking reinterpretation of the balloon silhouette from the ’50s—a moment that brought the crowd to its feet in a standing ovation. It will be interesting to see how Piccioli continues to shape the house, especially now that the darker, more menacing archetypes of fashion seem poised to find their home at Gucci. This was a smart move by the head honchos of Kering, dare I say.
What to shop from this collection: I’ve always believed in owning at least one piece from the debut season of a newly appointed designer—almost like a keepsake. At Balenciaga today, the choice is clear: invest in the house’s icons. The sack dress (look 1) and the balloon silhouette (look 53) stand as pure homages to Cristóbal’s legacy. But if those feel removed from the Balenciaga you know, consider the leather drape jacket with its sculptural funnel neck (look 4). And for the sake of nostalgia, the towering hats that nod to Ghesquière’s era (look 39) are just too cool to let slip a second time round.
1 / 11
Look 1
2 / 11
Look 4
3 / 11
Look 6
4 / 11
Look 9
5 / 11
Look 16
6 / 11
Look 19
7 / 11
Look 23
8 / 11
Look 27
9 / 11
Look 39
10 / 11
Look 50
11 / 11
