Balenciaga FW 2025 All High Jewelry By Lorraine Schwartz
After nearly a decade of shaping fashion’s conversation, Demna closed his era at Balenciaga with a couture collection that read more like a quiet farewell than a bold declaration of the future. Held in the storied couture salon on Avenue George V, the presentation was intimate, exacting, and steeped in the kind of handwork that has always been the soul of haute couture. Gone were the internet-breaking provocations; in their place, precision, history, and a near-reverent tone.
This final bow was built on structure and silhouette, recalling the rigor of the house’s founder while staying unmistakably Demna. Think tulip lapels, Medici collars, seamless corsets, and commanding shoulders, all rendered with monastic dedication. And yet, irony crept in through construction, particularly in one standout idea: the bodybuilder suit.
Created with the help of Neapolitan tailors, this single suit pattern was deployed in two dramatically different cuts: one for statuesque, exaggerated frames and the other for slimmer, more tailored bodies. It was a meditation on gender, strength, and proportion—all within the same sartorial code. In that mirrored tailoring, Demna found a final flourish of humor, grace, and defiance.
On the women’s side, Demna turned away from the corseted extremes of couture and embraced movement. Gowns were built on stretch bases and layered with organza, gabardine, guipure lace, and feathers, all applied by hand. These pieces clung and fell in a way that felt organic, almost molten—gowns that moved as if in dialogue with the body.
Demna’s next act is already in motion: a new role at Gucci, where early signs point to a fresh design language that dials down irony in favor of the “perfect suit.” After years of pushing fashion to absurd and sometimes uncomfortable extremes, Demna seems ready to explore quiet rigor and classicism. It’s a pivot, not a retreat—and perhaps his most subversive move yet.
The runway cast reflected the designer’s expansive creative world. Kim Kardashian closed the show in a pale silk slip dress and feathered coat, her look finished with a stunning pair of diamond earrings from famed jeweler Lorraine Schwartz, who provided several high jewelry pieces for the show. Her inclusion—and those borrowed diamonds—felt like a knowing nod to Old Hollywood glamour reimagined for couture.
Joining her on the runway, Isabelle Huppert offered cool intellect and gravitas. Alongside them, a mix of iconic and fresh faces gave the collection a timeless presence. The audience, too, was a who’s who of fashion and culture, including Naomi Campbell, Michelle Yeoh, Nicole Kidman, Lorde, and Cardi B. Yet the celebrity quotient never overshadowed the mood—it was celebratory but subdued, reverent without nostalgia.
Despite its emotional tone, the collection wasn’t without a sly wink. The true quirky thread? A single suit pattern cut for opposite bodies. It’s rare to find a visual metaphor for universality in couture—but here it was: a suit that could armor or soften, that made room for both hyperbole and humility.
This wasn’t a forecast—it was a coda. Demna’s last couture for Balenciaga felt like a closing statement to a complex era. Rooted in craftsmanship, infused with emotion, and devoid of gimmickry, it was couture with conscience. And in a world addicted to the next thing, Demna reminded us that endings, when done with care, can be the most meaningful act of all.
