BALMAIN Opens @ Harbour City Hong Kong

BALMAIN held a cocktail party to celebrate the opening of their first store located at Harbour City Hong Kong recently. Balmain’s designer Olivier Rousteing came all the way from Paris to Hong Kong to celebrate this remarkable day with the brand. The FW2012 were showcased as well as 6 selected pieces from the past collections of the house. The pieces were arranged from Paris to witness the delicateness of Balmain, and they cover designs from a series of great designers of the house including founder of the brand Pierre Balmain, Erik Mortensen, Oscar de la Renta and Christophe Decarnin. The restrospectives collection included Pierre Balmain: SS 1982 ( 2 pieces), Erik Mortensen: SS1987 and SS1989, Oscar de la Renta: FW1999 and Christophe Decarnin : FW2010.

Balmain FW2012 Collection themed <Shape and details>, when visiting New York for the first time in December, the 26-year-old designer was mesmerized by the Faberge egg in blue and gold that Richard Burton gave Elizabeth Taylor on display at Christie’s. The beauty and simplicity of the Faberge egg’s form and ornamentation inspired Rousteing to revisit the codes of Balmain and to define shape and refine details in new ways with this collection.

 

 

He started with a sharp, strong new take on the Balmain jacket. “I viewed the jacket as a square canvas, and crafted it so it retained its architectural lines but was transformed through technique into a three-dimensional ornamented object, a beautiful frame for a women’s face.” This statement in silhouette – razor sharp tailoring with an oversized ease -- is completed with a more fluid Balmain pant, or a more tailored cropped boyish pant when paired with a perfect jacket and vest.

 

 

 

As the Balmain atelier delved deeper into Faberge’s heritage, Russian ornamentation and cossack tailoring infused the collection. The ornate design of orthodox ecclesiastical vestments, precious porcelain and rich palace interiors are combined in sumptuous displays of complex, layered pattern. “I was also amazed by the abundance of pearls in Elizabeth Taylor's collection. She was a goddess with highly dramatic style.” says Rousteing.

 

  

High collar, hourglass velvet dresses are a base for a constellation of large pearl and diamond embroidery also inspired by the architecture of Russian churches, and the Balmain sweatshirt is covered with icy Fabergé pattern and cross stitch tapestry cameos. A soft pyjama suit is adorned in Balmain form.

 

Velvet also stars in this collection in new embossed patterning, or devoré, for sharp tailoring, body dressing and in combinations with polished, pastel leather for tooled jackets and pants. Soft kid leather, grain de poudre wools, ponyskin and satin mix freely and work on their own, or with embellishment, in a play of rich darks and icy pastels in petrol blue, billiard green and black blush pink, peach, sky blue, mint and white.