Balmain’s new pop culture aristocracy

A grand venue; Kanye and Rihanna on the soundtrack; a model gang of the world’s most beautiful people; and clothes that glittered so brightly it almost hurt to look at them. Such were the elements of Olivier Rousteing’s Balmain that were on display at his show in Paris today, the house’s second-ever menswear runway after last season’s explorer-themed outing.

The show was opened by male modelling heavyweights Jon Kortajarena and Sean O’Pry, who marched down a glossy black catwalk beneath high ceilings and rows of chandeliers dressed in looks that riffed off military uniform staples. As well as the signatures of the Balmain menswear language that Rousteing has been developing (like sporty drop-crotch trousers and a healthy dose of bling) there were tailcoats, equestrian-style boots, embroidered medals, and family tartans. His men looked like romantic heroes, Prince Charmings or Pride and Prejudice-worthy bachelors; Rousteing was playing with trappings and traditions of class in the creation of a new pop culture aristocracy – one where Instagram is the court and followers are the currency.

As with SS16, Rousteing invited some of his female #BalmainArmy along for the ride – including Sasha Luss, Alessandra Ambrosio and Lily Donaldson. The most extraordinary pieces of all were the looks that came completely covered in tiny crystals that threw off light as models walked, their patterns sparkling with every step. They were like Rousteing’s haute couture take on highly embellished figure skating dresses. Photograph them, and the effect was lost: you had to see them in the flesh.

Towards the end of the show, the music – until now an upbeat mix of Macklemore and Kanye – turned somewhat sombre, the musicians seated at the foot of the catwalk playing an orchestral rendition of the instrumental from West’s All of the Lights. Rousteing didn’t directly comment on what had happened in Paris, but the show notes were a tribute to the city as a place of tolerance and cultural diversity – “a fact that enrages intolerant minds both here and abroad”. As the saying goes, the show must go on. For Balmain, it was business as usual.