Balenciaga Professional Chic at Paris Fashion Week

Balenciaga kicked off their fall 2012 line yesterday in Paris. Like the city, the looks were all designed to exude professional chic sophistication.

Each look represented a role in the make-believe offices of Balenciaga Inc. It was a clever way to make business casual a bit less casual. Office clothes can be borderline boring, but Balenciaga definitely showed us that it doesn’t have to be the case.

Bold skirts, silky slacks, leather, and bright color dominated the show. The collection paid close attention to detail and playful hemlines. The looks mixed both sparkle and black with bold color for a dramatic look, which really worked as an outfit. Intricate designs and rock-star splashes completed the most eccentric looks.

Kristen Stewart showed her sophisticated side at the Paris show with an ensemble that was more glammed up than usual. Often casual in public, Stewart donned leather and florals for a more upscale Parisian look at the show.

Text Sera Michael

Source Fashion Gone Rogue 

A Look Ahead: Paris Fashion Week

Paris Fashion Week will take place from February 28 to March 7. The event is known for showing plenty of couture and vintage looks. Throughout the week, some of the biggest names in fashion will be showing off their new collections, so here is a rundown of the schedule.

On March 1, Nina Ricci will be on the runway along with Balenciaga. On March 2 and March 3, Christian Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Vivienne Westwood will all show their collections. The last four days in Paris are loaded with well-known and respected designers, including Stella McCartney, Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, Valentino, Alexander McQueen, Miu Miu, and Louis Vuitton.

What collections are you most excited to see?

Text Caitlin Beck
Image Fashionlatest.net

Candy-Coated Accessories

A few bold and bright statement pieces are perfect for the ambiance of spring. A mixture of pink, orange, and yellow make a spring palette very reminiscent of candy, because it's sweet and a little bit tart at the same time! The colors vary, of course, but they coordinate very well. 

With the addition of just a few items, you can add sparkle and glam to the simplest one-piece garments, such as maxi dresses, jumpsuits, and rompers. That’s not too difficult, right? Going for a neutral colored one-piece would be chic and ultra-charming. It would provide a great amount of balance to these bright accessories. Wondering what neutral colors would fit best? Go for a tan or a nice, crispy white.

Check out the statement pieces behind the jump...

The "if" factor: Balenciaga Top Handles

Recently, Nicolas Ghesquire -the creative director for Balenciaga- was interviewed about his famous purses that are now considered classics and how that signature top-handle was almost once just a prototype.

In the interview he discusses that, at first, the top handle purses were not released because they weren’t sure they would do too well and people surprisingly did not like them because of their overall look. Little did he know how much of a huge hit the distressed leather, vibrant bags would be and how that top-handle would become an iconic staple for the brand itself.

In the early stages, there were only about 25 purses that were sent to be made in production for runway and that was it. It wasn't until supermodel Kate Moss had mentioned to Ghesquire that she loved the bags and he should re-think their ultimate value, that he was inspired to go full speed with production on these bad boys.

We should all be so glad and thankful to Ghesquire -and Moss- for making the top handles more than a prototype and unleashing the beauty of these bags to the world and not just the runway!

Text Jordan Bossman
Source(s): Balenciaga, Nicolas Ghesquire

Balenciaga’s Futurism: Paris Fall 2011

Besides the unmistakable, infamous top handle and distressed leather purses, the fashion empire of Balenciaga that is recognized all over the world for their unique and breathtaking designs.

Recently Balenciaga debuted their Fall 2011 collection in Paris and had rave reviews about their newest collaboration. From the celebrity sparked guest list to the critics, everyone there felt that the clothing and overall looks really came together intelligently, courtesy of Nicolas Ghesquière as head of the Balenciaga house.

The collection consisted of clean and classic lines while having a feminine and delicate edge. The first couple looks were a few exceptional woven leather jackets that would stop anyone in their tracks and lust over it. Slowly throughout the show, the woven leather jackets transformed into leather overlays on the dresses; a great effect for the show. The silhouette was extremely classic and had a lot of body to it with the hemlines touching just below the knees. The color palette that was used were a combination in many varieties of shades of dark orange, purples, reds, black and electric blues; perfect for the fall season.

Any women could find good use to any one of these pieces that walked the runway in Paris. The models worked the catwalk with natural and nude makeup that truly complimented the all-embracing futuristic look that Ghesquière was going for their fall 2011 collection; bravo!

Text Jordan Bossman
Source(s): Balenciaga

Karolina Kurkova: Versatile. Who Knew?

Karolina Kurkova is known for being a very sexy, Victoria's Secret model. She is a Czech, blonde bombshell with a 5'11" rockin' bod. She has walked the runway in the famous Victoria's Secret Fashion Show as a knockout angel and after having a baby in 2009, she returned to the lingerie powerhouse shortly after to grace the pages of the catalogue. Now, with a completely different look, you can see her in the latest editions of any fashion magazine as a model for Max Mara.

Though I have rarely seen Kurkova in any other campaigns, she has been in Ralph Lauren, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton, Oscar De La Renta, Dior and Celine campaigns. Needless to say, this is the most artful look I have ever seen on her. She looks highly sophisticated and sharp. Her features appear precise.

Many models always look the same in every photo and with certain models, you don't notice because they are so stunning. Karolina Kurkova is that type of model. Her look for this campaign is unlike her typical sexy and gorgeous look, and it threw me off a little bit. I needed to take a second and take it in because I wasn't sure if it really was her. Then I noticed it was, and I was stunned. I thought, "Wow. This model really is versatile." That right there proves that she deserves her "Supermodel" status.

Text Alexandra Faye

Balenciaga Paris

For the first time in twelve years, Balenciaga has released a fragrance: Balenciaga Paris.

It is a light and spring-like with a powdery, peppery tone- perfect for those who don't like strong, flowery perfumes. The shape of the fragrance bottle is inspired by the classic Balenciaga silhouette, which Nicholas Ghesquière pictures a woman setting amongst her things to create an 'Irving Penn-like still life'.

Actress/songstress Charlotte Gainsbourg is the face of the campaign, which was shot by Steven Meisel. Ghesquière chose Gainsbourg for her "oddity...and bizarre beauty"...it works.

Although you cannot yet get the fragrance, you can watch the designer talk about his process on the fragrance's website.

The Balenciaga Paris campaign will not be in full force until the spring, but the scent will be launched on the 15th at Bergdorf Goodman.

-Erin O'Hara

Sports Chic

Trends, no matter how faddish, are some times so sweeping that you don't know why you were wearing those wedge heels or shagging you hair when you cringe as you're editing your Flickr account. And in Milan and Paris this week, designers put forth some bold designs that looked like, if you wore them, they could be potential blackmail photos in your future. But I have to admit, regardless of how insane these sports-inspired looks seem, they miraculously came off as wearable. Now that's good design.
The craziest? Prada waders. Yes, waders. You might be thinking how does fishing gear work for every day but, honestly, don't ask me, ask Miuccia. Girl made it work.
There was also Nina Ricci's riding hats. They were equestrian-like but somehow seemed fitting if you saw some one walking down the street on a rainy day or meeting a friend for lunch.
And Balenciaga did not dissapoint either. The Kimono meets Karate silk outfits were part evening, part pajamas, part super-bitch power suit. I'm not sure how they came up with the designs but it was certainly inspired.

It was almost as if the European designers thought were daring us not to be boring. Balmain parachute pants with snow boots? Make that a double-dog dare.

Boys & Girls and Girls & Boys- Crossing the Gender Line

So we've already stolen our "boyfriends jeans" and rightfully so, they steal ours! We are a culture where cross-dressing is accepted pretty much across the board. I mean, we have basically blurred the gender lines all to hell. Why not steal our mans dress shirts. I love a nice plaid mens shirt with leggings and boots. Or better yet, your boyfriend's over-sized blazer. After all I'm sure he won't be wearing it much anymore for that finance job. Oops, he lost it in the economic meltdown, I do apologize.

Maybe you're wondering when it become cool to steal your boyfriends clothes? I am pretty sure it was well before this time, but I do remember vividly Balenciaga taking us there in his Fall 2007 Collection with shrunken schoolboy blazer. Now, switching it up a bit we have gone to the over-sized blazer. Moving from your little brothers prep school uniform to your boyfriends work wardrobe. Even down to the oxford shoes, sadly... that's going to be a tough one to steal from the boyfriend. Hmm do those black and whites come in my size?

Image: Marcio Maderia

Designer: Rag & Bone