Balmain
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REVIEW
COMPLETE COLLECTION
PARIS, January 23, 2012
By Nicole Phelps
Olivier Rousteing traded Las Vegas for St. Petersburg and Nudie suits for Fabergé eggs. Balmainiacs will recognize some elements of his new pre-fall collection—the Perfecto encrusted with pearls and crystals, the long-sleeve minidress with the famous strong shoulders—but Rousteing is determined to redefine the house codes.To start, he looked to czarist Russia. There's nothing scruffy about the Imperial Palace, and there's nothing scruffy about the new Balmain look, either. Sure, he showed plenty of jeans, but in place of holes he printed them with wallpaper florals and tea-dyed them for a lived-in look. He's also feeling for oversize, which is not something you could ever ascribe to his predecessor, Christophe Decarnin. Blazers and bombers came in men's proportions, and he showed loose pajama pants in quilted silk or dévoré velvet.
"Comfy" was the word he used at an informal presentation at Balmain's offices. And believe it or not, comfy is connecting with buyers; the showroom looked as busy as ever. It helped that Rousteing keyed in to the bigger picture, re-creating Fabergé eggs as head-to-toe watercolor prints and adding pretty colors like blush pink and deep emerald green to his lineup. But the most important thing is that he hasn't forgotten about the sexy factor—the stretchy dévoré dress is proof of that.
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Pre-Fall 2012
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3.1 Phillip Lim -
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A.L.C. Acne Akris Alberta Ferretti Albino Alexander McQueen Alexander Wang Alexandre Herchcovitch Alice + Olivia Andrew Gn Anne Valérie Hash Antonio Berardi Antonio Marras Azzaro -
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Badgley Mischka Balenciaga Bally Balmain Band of Outsiders Barbara Bui BCBG Max Azria Bottega Veneta Burberry Prorsum -
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Cacharel Calvin Klein Collection Carlos Miele Carolina Herrera Carven Celine Chanel Chloé Christian Dior Clements Ribeiro Costume National Cushnie et Ochs -
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Damir Doma Derek Lam Diane von Furstenberg Diesel Black Gold DKNY Donna Karan Doo.Ri Dsquared² -
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Elie Saab Elie Tahari Emilio Pucci Emporio Armani Erdem Erin Fetherston -
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Fendi Francesco Scognamiglio -
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Gabriele Colangelo Giambattista Valli Giles Giorgio Armani Giulietta Givenchy Gucci -
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Helmut Lang Hervé Léger by Max Azria -
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Issey Miyake -
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J. Mendel J.W. Anderson Jason Wu Jean Paul Gaultier Jenni Kayne Jil Sander John Galliano Jonathan Saunders Just Cavalli -
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Kelly Wearstler Kenzo -
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Lacoste Lanvin Louis Vuitton -
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M.Patmos Maison Martin Margiela Malandrino Marni Matthew Williamson MaxMara Michael Kors Milly Missoni Monique Lhuillier Moschino Moschino Cheap And Chic -
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Naeem Khan Nanette Lepore Narciso Rodriguez Nicole Miller Nina Ricci No. 21 -
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Opening Ceremony Oscar de la Renta -
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Pedro Lourenço Peter Som Philosophy Ports 1961 Prabal Gurung Preen Pringle of Scotland Proenza Schouler -
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Rachel Roy Rachel Zoe Rag & Bone Rebecca Minkoff Reed Krakoff Reem Acra Richard Nicoll Roberto Cavalli Rochas Roksanda Ilincic -
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Salvatore Ferragamo Sonia Rykiel Sportmax St. John Stella McCartney -
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T by Alexander Wang Temperley London Ter et Bantine Thakoon Thakoon Addition The Row Theyskens' Theory Tibi Tracy Reese Tribune Standard TSE -
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Valentino Vera Wang Versace Viktor & Rolf Vionnet VPL -
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Wayne -
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Yigal Azrouël Yves Saint Laurent -
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Zac Posen Zero + Maria Cornejo
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