Balmain 44 François Premier Fall 2018

Olivier Rousteing continued to build on the momentum of his debut red-carpet atelier capsule introduced in January. For the designer, the line represents “his little celebrity moment,” and the notion appears to be resonating. (Red-carpet strikes for the first collection included Lupita Nyong’o at the London premiere of “Black Panther” in February and, a month later, Jane Fonda at the Oscars and Penélope Cruz at the Madrid premiere for “Loving Pablo.”)

Whereas Time’s Up-friendly black got a lot of play last season, here, in his latest tribute to “the glamour Monsieur Pierre Balmain was known for,” the designer burst into color with a flashy Eighties palette spanning lemon and hot pink, scarlet and electric blue.

Other house codes revisited included flowers — used as blown-up embellishments made from thermo-fused leather embroidered with stones, chiffon, muslin, feathers and drape, and the house’s roots in body-sculpting tailoring. The latter came through in the long double-breasted gowns with gold buttons, ranging from a tuxedo version in black sequins with a feather skirt to a bright pink sequined gown with leg-of-mutton sleeves.

Through the jagged bustier of a hot pink minidress draped with a ruffled chiffon train, the designer sought to accentuate the architectural mood. The house is known for its over-the-top embellishment and intricate embroidery, but his take here was relatively simple, focused on allover sequin surfaces. “They’re meant to look like sculptures,” said Rousteing.

Ultimately the designer in this collection was going for something “timeless,” but the result, with its Joan Collins circa “Dynasty” vibe, felt more like a literal, old-school flashback to his fetish decade.

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