That Balenciaga's Nicolas Ghesquière can cut a lean, mean pair of trousers is indisputable; girls go into a frenzy over his leg-extending, rear-end-enhancing narrow pants. Lately, though, Ghesquière has been more interested in playing with that hallmark of his progenitor Cristobal's work, volume—see the below-the-knee tropical-print skirts from his Fall collection in Paris.
For Resort, the designer has dubbed his substantial A-line numbers "umbrella skirts," and they do have some of the fullness of a brolly. (Just as poufy were shorts inspired by Mona von Bismarck, a top client back in the day who wore hers in the garden.) Shirts resembled inverted triangles with short sleeves tucked into the shoulders. If that silhouette was somewhat challenging, Ghesquière won us over with his prints and fabrics. On many pieces a graphic herringbone pattern merged with an archival brick print dating to one of Cristobal's sixties shows. It was most striking in neon pink and brown on a slightly cocoon-shaped coat. What's more, Ghesquière didn't let his pants lovers down. Among the collection's coolest looks: a pair of trousers with bold but delicate silver Indian embroidery on the front, paired with a bat-sleeve top.
