We know, right?
It’s day 3728 of the SS19 shows, and we’re now v close to the end (three days!) There are still some big ones to come, though, with the likes of Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Givenchy on the schedule. First up this morning was Balenciaga, where Demna Gvasalia took us deep into the depths of a computer system (or so it felt like), with a show centred around technology’s impact on society and the world. Here’s everything you need to know.
THERE WAS AN ART INSTALLATION
By Jon Rafman, a Canadian artist and filmmaker whose work centres around the social, emotional, and existential impact technology has on contemporary life. The show took place in a narrow, blue lit tunnel, where, prior the show starting, programming code and the dreaded start-up messages were projected onto the walls, making it feel like you were deep inside the workings of some enormous computer – v Hackers vibes.
THE SOUNDTRACK WAS V OMINOUS
As models started making their way through the tunnel, a slowed down, ominous beat kicked in, and the lighting changed from blue, to red, through to green, which eventually became static snow and distortion. Over the top, a booming voice repeated over and over again “Presence is the key, now is the answer, ego is not who you are… how has humanity been taken in by this for so long?” A timely question not only when it comes to technology and social media, but also what’s going on in the world at large.
THE COLLECTION WAS MADE UP OF FUTURISTIC OFFICE WEAR
The first looks to come down the runway were pretty stripped back when compared to recent collections (s/o to the Joey Tribbiani-esque looks from last season’s offering). Structured, 3D-printed coats in bold block colours jutted out at the shoulders, nipped in at the waist, and skimmed over the hips, and were paired with Demna’s signature sock-boots and some pretty severe-looking strappy stilettos. Then came the boys, in fluid, oversized tailoring, boxy leather blazers, and suits embellished with the Eiffel Tower. The collection as a whole was referential, but also felt pretty futuristic: this could be what the few of us who still have jobs – after the likes of Sophia the Robot have taken over and rendered humans just about obsolete – might wear to the office to sit in our tiny cubicles for eight hours a day and eat our identical lunches, before heading home to our OS lovers. But at least we’ll look good..?
COMIC SANS IS COOL NOW
As well as the tailoring that made up a large part of the collection, there were also a lot of casual looks – boys wore huge, oversized bowling shirts with stonewashed denim jeans, belt chains, and chunky light-up boots, while the girls wore a succession of twisted and draped dresses and slips, which were printed with all your favourite high school Powerpoint Clip Art effects. Closing the show was Dazed cover girl Shanelle, who wore a short, panelled dress covered in the Balenciaga logo, which was reimagined in different Microsoft Word fonts, including Comic Sans (lol). Yes, you read that correctly. Comic Sans is cool now, and tbh we’re here for it.