Confidence, grandeur, ease: His focus was on how to imbue these clothes with “couture allure, posture, and attitude,” he said. To the point: The feat he managed with this ultra-aspirational collection was not to turn his back on the aesthetics of the street and underground but to give the inclusive values of a generation a sensational elevation. And haute couture jeans-hand-made on original American looms bought by Japanese manufacturers and commissioned there. His couture debut had rigorous black tailoring, sober and austere expansively extravagant gestures of taffeta swathed stoles gorgeous flowered embroideries and the offhand drama of set-back collars. I’ve been talking about clothes, clothes, clothes rather than fashion.” “And I realized it’s not about fashion-actually, I love clothes. “The pandemic made me take that minute of silence-or few months of silence-and really understand what I like in this ‘metier,’ as Cristóbal used to call it,” he said. “It was my minute of silence to the heritage of Cristóbal Balenciaga but also a moment of silence to just shut up for a minute,” he said. This was recognizable Demna and recognizable Cristóbal in one. So did Demna Gvasalia.įacing the biggest test of his career, Gvasalia brought a heightened dignity to his own revolutionary vision of 21st-century people while simultaneously honoring the greatest couturier of the 20th century. Monsieur Balenciaga showed in silence to focus the audience on the line, cut, and presence of his clothes. The sound of the suppressed gasps of fashion journalists and clients was heard again-albeit through masks-for the first time in the 53 years since Cristóbal Balenciaga closed his hallowed couture house. A fierce and noble elegance for our new age stalked through the haute couture salons of Balenciaga at 10 Avenue Georges V today.