It’s hard to watch people falling out of love. But on Wednesday when I left Pierpaolo Piccioli’s debut couture show for Balenciaga, a gorgeous parade of dramatic shapes en plein-air that was recognized by many as a return to form and yet greeted simultaneously with a sort of a shrug, that emotion, or lack of it, was hard to ignore.
And yet, on the surface at least, the designer is doing everything right.
He has stopped trying to be his predecessor, Demna, and forcing himself into unnatural pretzels to make streetwear with unfortunate results (see his ready-to-wear show in October). He has embraced the extraordinary color sense — tangerine and khaki; periwinkle and dove gray; blush pink and grape and ruby — that became his signature in his former job at Valentino, as well as the grace of form.
He has combined that with classic Balenciaga shapes (the sack, the trapeze, the balloon skirt) made in an entirely contemporary way, so that one coat with a back shaped like a turtle’s shell had been created not with seams, but by stretching the wool over a 3-D-printed mold. He even put pockets in his wedding dress, for goodness sake. The person is still at the center of his thinking. And he brought the whole atelier out on the runway for a bow — the first time any of the artisans had gotten that recognition.
So why have so many formerly rabid fans become so indifferent? The fact that guests were wilting in the blazing sun might have had something to do with the subdued reaction, but even if there had been a breeze, the effect wouldn’t have been the same. Because it’s not him, it’s us.
The collection was beautiful, no question. It was physically forgiving. It was, in many cases, perfect for the red carpet and celebrities should flock to some of the pieces, especially a sleeveless sequined green gown that resembled the Emerald City in a dress, and a cloud of a balloon frock covered in 24,150 fabric petals, like an Impressionist painting.
But right, it turns out, is actually not right for right now. What’s needed is wrong. What’s needed is some mess, some sense of movement, experimentation and challenge to the status quo. Action.
Piccioli’s clothes don’t have any rough edges — those were sanded down long ago — and while that lyricism seemed intensely desirable both before and after the pandemic, it now feels like something from another time. And brand. There’s just too much fabric involved in most of the looks to get anywhere fast. If you fell into a swoon, you might drown in the feathers.
