Olivier Rousteing’s Balmain collection in conjunction with high street favourite H&M is coming to stores on the 5th of November– and yesterday we finally got a peek. The long-awaited lookbook was revealed yesterday in all its glory, and Rousteing commented on his inspiration for the collection. Speaking to Vogue about what is inarguably the collaboration of the year, he said, “I wanted to capture the confidence, sexiness and power of the house. When you wear the clothes, you’re going to feel powerful and strong.” Trademark features of Rousteing’s designs– military vibes, glamorous fabrics, his pearl and gold details– manage to give this hotly anticipated high street collection a very high fashion feel and strike the perfect balance between feminine and fierce. The collection encapsulates all the glitz and luxury of the Balmain label at *ahem* “affordable” prices.
While the only price revealed so far has been £399, for an embellished mini-dress worn by Gigi Hadid (not exactly what we students would call affordable) we can live in hope that the rest of the collection will be a little less. Even if it’s not, when compared to most Balmain pieces which can cost in excess of £1000, you’re saving a lot of money. However, the Huffington Post have questioned whether such bold and luxurious designs will translate to the less-than-enviable textiles of high street mass tailoring and production. I guess we’ll just have to see in the flesh, or rather, in the fabric. Additionally, I can’t imagine many guys rocking what the menswear collection has to offer anywhere outside of Fashion Week parties in the company of fashion royalty such as Rousteing himself.
As a Kardashian/Jenner favourite, I don’t have to tell you that any opportunity to get your hands on Balmain is not one to miss. What’s the plan of action, you ask? Don your camping gear and be queueing round the block of your local H&M overnight to be in with the best possible chance. Weapons (handbags) at the ready everybody, with this amount of hype things could get ugly.Â
(Feature Image: The Telegraph)Â