Two days into the Paris shows, the spirit of ‘77 is in the air. It’s never blared more clearly than at Balmain (and the soundtrack, by the way, was Sid Vicious’ famous cover of Sinatra’s “My Way”). Christophe Decarnin has long borrowed punk culture’s tropes, but the affect here was full-on mosh pit: tattered fishnets, [...]

Karl Lagerfeld added another laurel (and a medal) to his collection yesterday when the French government appointed him to the Legion d’Honneur. President Sarkozy and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy were on hand; the lady wore Chanel, bien sûr (pictured).The rumors are true: Victoria’s Secret Angel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley will play Shia LaBeouf’s love interest in Michael Bay’s Transformers [...]

For the fashion set, the opening of a Balmain envelope is a fanatically followed event. (Even the house’s “small” store party in Paris earlier this week turned into a full-fledged throng.) So you can imagine the fervor that’ll no doubt accompany the label’s new sunglasses, made in collaboration with Oliver Peoples. Creative director Christophe Decarnin [...]

Balmainia is no laughing matter. Last night, the fashion house had planned to host a simple little cocktail party to celebrate the refurbishment of their store on the rue François—but by the time word of the fête reached me, the whole thing had blown into a full-on fashion gala. A few hours before the party, [...]

About a month ago, I was out on one of my top-secret ops, and the dental floss I was using to rappel out of a skyscraper gave out about 15 feet short of the sidewalk. Long story short, I fractured my right wrist. Badly. Part of life as a super-spy, I know, but given that [...]

Balmain gets baggage. The studded and sparkly line from Christophe Decarnin has added bags to its lineup. And while we know It bags are out, we’re sure these well be topping a few wish lists. [WWD]Attention, ne’er-do-wells: Longtime Page Six scribe Paula Froelich is leaving the Post, giving you a few weeks to get up [...]

One of the ironies of Michael Jackson’s death at 50 is that he had been back on the radar for so many people lately, fashion watchers included. Just yesterday there was the news that the King of Pop would be outfitting himself in hundreds of thousands of Swarovski crystals at his upcoming sold-out London concerts. [...]

Blame it on Balmain. Christophe Decarnin has brought bedazzle back to fashion, triggering many a formerly minimalist girl’s lust reflex by swathing his clothes in crystal and chain. Critics have noted that these Balmain collections seem to be designed with ultra-skinny girls in mind; less commented upon is the possibility that a dress beaded top-to-bottom [...]

The first full day of shows in Paris had its ups and downs. The up, in my opinion, was Christophe Decarnin’s Balmain show. On a runway atop the Ritz’s pool, he showed an entire disco of the brightest, shiniest, big-shoulder-est cocktail dresses—a crystal dream. Or as one editor put it, a “crystal meth” dream, because [...]

One of the best bits of news I’ve received so far this year is that I will again be an avatar during fashion month, reporting from the shows behind the comforting veil of CGI improvements. This in itself is thrilling, of course, but the cherry on this low-fat gâteau is getting to pick out the [...]