THINGS I LOVE vol.22

　

Speaking of ``BALENCIAGA'', it is now ``clothing with a street-like logo that stands out''. However, if you look at the image of founder Cristóbal Balenciaga in the remaining photos, his mood is the exact opposite of the brand's current image. An ultra-aristocratic suit style with an atmosphere that combines elegance and fearlessness. It's so beautiful that you can't believe it's out of this world.

I think it was in 2005 that I went to see ``BALENCIAGA'' at the Paris Collection. At that time, Nicolas Ghesquière (now Louis Vuitton's women's design director/hereinafter referred to as Nicola) only presented the women's collection on the runway, and the men's collection was shown at exhibitions. At the time, Nicola's women's line was a hot topic, so it was extremely difficult for me, who mainly does men's styling, to get an invitation. However, I was actually looking forward to seeing the men's exhibition that was being held around the same time. The men's tailored suits had a supple and beautiful silhouette, and even the smallest details, such as the pockets, were carefully crafted with a sense of tension and delicateness. I liked it so much that I bought set-ups and jackets every season. They were reminiscent of the company's founder, Cristobal.

Around that time, Hidetoshi Nakata (hereinafter referred to as Hide) became good friends with Nicola, and they were able to participate in the women's collection runway as friends, which was once a difficult time. Beautiful tailoring was utilized in the women's collection as well as in the men's collection, and after every show, her pieces were prominently featured on the front pages of the Herald Tribune and WWD. When I go to Paris, I look forward to seeing the runways of ``BALENCIAGA'' and ``CHANEL.'' Looking at these two brands, I felt like I was able to experience first-hand Paris fashion, which has its roots in haute couture. There are shows held in small, traditional ateliers, and shows by big maisons held at major venues that represent France, such as the Grand Palais. Watching both gave me the real thrill of seeing the entire Paris Collection. One of the attractions of Paris Fashion Week is that brands from all over the world can participate, but the shows put on by historic local Parisian brands have a sense of dignity and historical significance, making them especially worth seeing.

``BALENCIAGA'' was originally started by Spaniard Cristóbal Balenciaga, but at the same time it was also nurtured and cultivated in Paris. Nicola, who took over the company, set out to revitalize this long-established brand and successfully brought it to fruition. Later, even after he became the women's design director of LOUIS VUITTON, the foundation was passed on to Alexander Wang and Demna Gvasalia (hereinafter referred to as "Demna"), and the brand has now become a huge boom in a way that is different from Cristobal's era. Unfortunately, I don't own anything from Alexander Wang's era, but after Demna became director, I bought sneakers and a hoodie. Although it was completely different from my lifestyle, I honestly thought it was interesting. Pierpaolo Piccioli is now the director, and a new Balenciaga image will likely be branded.

Lately, I've been wearing a navy set-up that I bought when I was at Nicola with sneakers from my Demna days. I wonder if this is Cristobal magic, because it comes together surprisingly well.

　

■Tomoki Yuma (@stsukezane）
Born in Kyoto City in 1965. Started his career as an editor in the editorial department of Magazine House ``POPEYE''. Currently, in addition to planning and styling fashion pages for magazines, she also designs advertising costumes for artists and musicians. Before the coronavirus, he covered men's collections in Paris and Milan for over 35 years.

THINGS I LOVE vol.21

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