Balenciaga’s latest campaign stars? Real life Parisian lovers

Paris has long drawn lovers to its winding, cobbled streets, where they block doorways by obliviously making out in them, stare at each other instead of the view at the top of the Eiffel Tower, and leave historic bridges dangerously close to collapse thanks to their initial-etched, sentimental padlocks. Bitter? Us? No way. As the iconic Miranda Hobbes once excruciatingly enthused: we loooooove love. 

For all those baby-talking over steak-frites at basically every tiny bistro across the city, though, there are plenty of those doing things differently. Step forward the stars of Balenciaga’s latest campaign: a series of uber-cool, IRL couples, who bring their unique, inimitable chemistry to the AW19 images. 

As shot by Paris-based photographer Greg Finck – a creative more known for romantic, soft-focus wedding shots than high fashion editorials – the series sees the lovers captured outside grocery stores, embracing on the Metro, and (okay fine) sharing a kiss in front of the Seine. And there's a video too, this time by Dazed 100 alum Ed Fornieles, which shows the couples caught on CCTV talking about their relationships in an underground car park. 

Looks-wise there are big, oversized anoraks in faded citrus brights, stonewashed jeans, oversized logo hoodies, and a couple of pairs of those brilliantly mad square-toe boots that, for us at least, resulted in some pretty intense emotions. Love at first sight? Perhaps. 

Check out the full gallery above and watch the video below.