J.Lo, Cindy Crawford, Kris Jenner, and a Dog Sat Front Row at Balmain—Kind Of
For the fashion folk, the show must go on—and it did—for Paris Fashion Week. Always an anticipated event (not only for its runway creations but also due to its mob of E! News-famous attendees), Balmain opted to hold its traditional mega-model runway show the normal way, in real life. But rather a packed house of celebrities as per usual, the French fashion house had its guests enjoy the collection via digital connection.
Throngs of sleek LG OLED TVs screens filled the venue space, becoming the background for the show itself as an army of neon-bathed models armored with the brand's signature high-angled shoulders stormed ahead. Jennifer Lopez, Cindy Crawford, Kris Jenner, Claudia Schiffer, Juliette Binchoe, Cara Delevingne, and even one showgoer's dog tuned in from the comforts of home or—for the few that did manage to brave the PFW streets—hotel room.
The displays are but one of creative director Olivier Rousteing's basket of collaborations this season for Balmain—much like the time Vetements broke the fast fashion internet—and includes partners such as Apple, Akoni, Instagram, LG, Mazarine, and Swarovski all done in collaboration with fashion curator and archivist Olivier Saillard.
As Roustein explained in a statement: "To create a runway during a normal fashion week requires incredible effort. But when your show is going to happen during a global pandemic, well... you’re going to have to turn to some friends for help!"
