Balenciaga has entered a new fashion era.
During its Paris Fashion Week show on March 5, the luxury brand stepped away from its signature style of polarizing clothes—like the eyebrow-raising face cover Kim Kardashian wore to the 2021 Met Gala or the Lays Potato Chip purses that debuted in October. Instead, Balenciaga is toning it down.
Taking a minimalistic approach to its autumn/winter 2023 collection, oversized blazers with massive shoulder pads reigned supreme on the runway, as well as tailored trench coats and flowy dresses with dramatic bell sleeves.
According to Balenciaga’s creative director Demna, he wanted to go back to the basics.
“Fashion has become a kind of entertainment, but often that part overshadows the essence of it,” a note read from Demna on the show seats, per Vogue Business. “In the last couple of months, I needed to seek shelter for my love affair with fashion, and I instinctively found it in the process of making clothes.”
His note continued, “This is why fashion can no longer be seen as entertainment, but rather the art of making clothes.”