Photo: Courtesy Balmain
Balmain’s first fine jewelry presentation was reminiscent of Pierre Balmain’s spectacle of French luxury in the 1950’s. Fast forward to today, and this opulent yet modern take on the brand’s fine jewelry approach was nothing short of powerful and authentic; Oliver Rousteing impressively dedicated the collection to today’s rebellious spirit, with the richness of couture heritage. The collection also featured Balmain’s most well-known signatures—both classic motifs, pulled directly from the house’s rich archive, were present in this debut collection.
Oliver Rousteing, the house’s brilliant artistic director, brought the idea of paying homage to Pierre Balmain to life with the showcase, by “building upon that unique heritage by having our first jewelry collection’s riff on a host of items pulled from our archives, including Monsieur Balmain’s legendary Labyrinth pattern, the house’s distinctive coat of arms and the couture-like embellishments of my Fabergé collection, which I first sent down the runway ten years ago.” The historically striking pieces that use onyx and diamonds are of a particularly striking note to the legacy of Balmain.
Photo: Courtesy Balmain
The house chose to focus its fine jewelry collection on the celebration of the self, identity and gender neutrality. Emblem and Labyrinth are symbolic of belonging to a greater whole, creating pieces that work interchangeably. Each piece marked a statement, relying on a brilliant mix of yellow gold, diamonds, onyx and tsavorites to reference the heraldic language of the Balmain Blazon and the masterful embroideries of one of Olivier Rousteing’s most influential runways, the Fabergé collection of 2012.
Balmain’s fine jewelry collection explored French opulence, allegiance, with notes of medieval heritage, while boldly addressing today’s modern world. The house’s creative director successfully produced Balmain’s first high jewelry presentation with an intriguing complexity to today’s diverse world. Bravo.
Below, take a closer look at some of the pieces from Balmain’s debut jewelry line.
Photo: Courtesy Balmain
Photo: Courtesy Balmain
Photo: Courtesy Balmain
Photo: Courtesy Balmain
Photo: Courtesy Balmain
