Photo by EDWARD BERTHELOT GETTY IMAGES
I can’t remember how but a year ago I became obsessed Olivier Rousting. I have always had respect for Balmain and I love that they never shy away from dressing all body types and races but for some reason I only follow Olivier’s Insta. His is the page that speaks to me. I don’t know why; that’s just the way it is. I could never fully put my finger on it but it’s love.
Then, when the whole world was on lockdown, during the dog days of the Quarantine, he begin to remind me why I loved him so. He started posting little stories and anecdotes to his page that gave you more and more of his personality and his humor and he drew me back in. At first it was just a photoshoot or a memory that he had with a fashion friend but over time his stories became more personal. He talked about how much he missed his office and how much he missed creating. He tried new things like cooking, did online dance challenges, and basically just lived out his life online while waiting to be able to go to work. His energy though, was really what got me.
There was an underlying air of excitement in all of his posts, like he was working on something big. His joy was infectious in his videos, even when he almost burned his dinner learning to make eggs, and it seemed like he was just counting down the days till he could release all of the creativity he had been storing up. Then all of a sudden France ended lockdown and he was back in his studio more excited and animated than ever and he immediately started creating.
The first few silhouettes that I saw come out of those sessions were everything. The power suit or blazer that he was working on was so bold. Very angular and sharp but very feminine designs. All the goodness of a zoot suit with a boldness of 90’s career woman. Maybe harsh or cartoonish to some but to me very powerful and strong. (Can you tell I love him?)
So then the visuals dropped for Balmain Resort 2021 and I mean, please. If you think I wouldn’t wear these then we have not met. The pink in the middle SPEAKS TO ME!
Y’all. Are you kidding me? I need all of these in my closet yesterday. So of course I am reeling from this and then the announcement about the Couture show dropped and I was shook. I just didn’t know if I could take any more Balmain goodness in the same Summer.
But I endure, checking in on his stories and watching his Insta posts and I can see his excitement grow as the date gets nearer. Then the day after after Fourth of July I see the boats.
Mirrored boats. On the Seine. With the blue sky and puffy cumulous clouds? Romantic silhouettes and bold colors. The broad shoulder jackets are back and Olivier is in the middle of it all. I died. It was a celebration of the Balmain of old and new and he even had a tribute to all of the those who are fighting for racial equality? Please.
In a time when everyone was trying to figure out how Shows were going to continue and if they would ever have the same impact that they did when we could all be under the same roof he was able to showcase why his creativity and truly his optimism is unmatched. OMG. It was incredible. I wish I could have been there.
GET YOUR LIFE WITH ME:
Welcome Home Love 