Well-rounded Balenciaga Gets the Balance Right

Along with Lanvin, Balenciaga is one of the greatest success stories in the 21st century fashion industry. Despite being about a 10th of the size of the big guns such as Armani, it wields an influence of which the others can only dream. Its collection for this season, with its colorful dresses paired with chunky boots, has been seen in various forms on runways by other designers for next season and Balenciaga's blazer is already proving to be the most copied garment by British high street retailers for autumn.

Its show yesterday in Paris was a good lesson in the brand's modus operandi. It is now 10 years since the creative director Nicolas Ghesquière took over the then moribund brand and turned it into a label loved by the two most important demographics: wealthy older women and cool younger ones. Ghesquière's trick has been to combine Balenciaga's look from the past with a modern touch, a balance John Galliano at Dior, say, has occasionally had trouble achieving.

In the show yesterday short dresses made from stiffened satins fell slightly away from the body, with rounded skirts, corset stitching up the back, and printed with computer generated images of brightly colored flowers. This potentially awkward combination of Marie Antoinette meets the space age would have looked ridiculous in anyone other than Ghesquière's hands and shapes such as the rounded shoulders and the bright prints will be guaranteed trends for next summer.

Some of the tops were a little too rounded at the back, but when Ghesquière cut them more simply downwards or pleated the backs into capes they worked beautifully, particularly on the bright summer coats.