Balenciaga Keeps Focus on Clothes — Not Gimmicks — for Fall 2023 Haute Couture

On Wednesday, at its historic Paris salon, Balenciaga presented its first Haute Couture collection since its big scandal.

The brand returned to Paris Fashion Week in March, with a Fall 2023 show, in which Demna pledged return to "the art of making clothes" in the accompanying notes. As he continues to turn away from the gimmicks and shock-inducing designs that catapulted Balenciaga to becoming the industry's most dependably viral label, the designer presents a more refined, restrained and refocused approach to haute couture. He even cast Danielle Slavik, a house model for Balenciaga from 1964 until 1968, to walk the runway — another indication of the house's desire to go back to and honor its roots.

Demna brought back Balenciaga's haute couture business two years ago, after the atelier lay dormant for half a century. His vision for the category was already more traditional than what we saw on the ready-to-wear runway, pulling more literally from the archive. However, there were still Demna-isms, like the full latex body suits and engulfing cone collars that made a statement in Fall 2022 Haute Couture.

This season, though, the approach is even more toned-down, his bold thinking coming through in more subtle ways, the main one being an inventive approach to fabric. The stand-out might be the non-denim denim, an on-the-rise runway trend: Vanessa Friedman shared on Twitter that the bright blue, acid-wash-appearing jeans were in fact made of canvas, then brushed with oil paints.

There's also a series of dresses with frayed skirts that, at first glance, could read simply as an approach to fringe. Upon a closer look, though, the design actually begins to slowly unravel at the waist, revealing the threads (and in a way, origins) of the design.

Tailoring continues to be a big focus for Demna. The super-sharp, angular silhouettes and long straight lines of coats, gowns and trousers offer a sort of sartorial armor — which lead into a more literal interpretation of armor to close out the show, featuring variations of chain mail dressing, a glittering diamanté gown and a modern take on a panoply, with plates of ribbed metal created a dramatically convex shoulder shape, bangle-like elbow guards and a floor-length bubbled A-line skirt.

As we approach a full calendar year since the fashion house's world-rattling scandal, it's clear that Demna is committed to shedding his previously flashy approach to design, in favor of highlighting the skill of Balenciaga's impressive, masterful atelier. To view the full Fall 2023 Haute Couture collection, scroll through below.

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