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Kim Kardashian is making one of the most notable fashion appearances at the end of the year. It’s late on the evening of November 4 when the all-terrain star (who just announced the launch of the men’s collection of his Skims line) arrives for the photographers at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art gala, given in honor of artist Judy Baca and director David Fincher, organized with support from Gucci. As usual, the look was impeccably chosen: it was a strapless Balenciaga dress with a huge train, in striking pink duchess satin, paired with spectacular black spandex opera gloves. At the same time ultra-recognizable, color obligatory, impeccably adapted to the shape of Kim Kardashian, this outfit is not just any outfit: it is, very precisely, look 54 of Balenciaga’s last Haute Couture fashion show, organized in a very small group in the historic salons of Avenue George V last July. But the number 1 celebrity on social networks does not stop there: on November 11 we will see him again in Balenciaga on the red carpet of the Baby2Baby gala evening organized in West Hollywood.
Back to clothes
For Kim Kardashian it is a statement. For Balenciaga it is much more than that. Exactly a year ago, the house became embroiled in a case involving images of children in inappropriate outfits. With lightning speed – that of social networks – the scandal had spread across the fashion world, to the point where some saw Balenciaga and its director Demna totter from the pedestal of the most innovative and revolutionary fashion house of the past decade. Both apologized, as did CEO Cédric Charbit. New procedures had been announced. Then the house refocused on the best solution: silence and clothing. It was also in a completely white setting, without decor or stylistic effects, that the autumn/winter 2023-2024 fashion show was held. “Fashion can no longer be seen as entertainment, but as the art of making clothes,” Demna confided on this occasion, as the audience discovered one of the most talented and quietest collections. The same during last fashion week. If the casting brought together Demna’s loved ones in front of a spectacular red curtain, no one forgot the soundtrack: it was the voice of Isabelle Huppert who, in a revered version, played the sewing teachers, in a hypnotic crescendo as only Balenciaga can do. Spectacular for sure, but above all rigorous.
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A nod to fashion history
It is also in this ready-to-wear collection that Kim Kardashian opted for this long dress with turtleneck, made of silicone lace and equipped with a belt with a black bow. And she is not the only one who once again opts for these outfits full of couture references. Three days earlier, it was also at Balenciaga that Nicole Kidman appeared in New York, during an event organized by Omega: an upcycled dress made of inky black silk crepe and satin, combined with high-heeled pumps and tonal heels. The ultra graphic look 86 from the spring-summer 2024 fashion show also contains all the Balenciaga codes: the straight cut, the visible legs, the grosgrain ribbon effects and the black bow at chest height. It’s not, strictly speaking, sexy, but incredibly effective in terms of sophistication and a discreet nod to fashion’s great history.