Nicholas Ghesquiere

A vital luxury brand has to engage and reflect a contemporary world to maintain its relevancy.

The ideas about to be expressed are not all mine. They were gleaned during a dinner conversation at Kingdom in Bushwick, which is a pretty funny place to have a sustained conversation about "luxury".

Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster + Ghesquière + Sauvé + Hardy =excellence in quality of thinking. Image via style.com

I mean that collection could singlehandedly render Beaugrenelle the new capital of branchitude. Rife with art school drops outs from oh-so- good families.

Thee, 2008 and Life forms, 2008 . Artwork by Helmut Lang.PH Elfie Semotan

10 years from now when we consider how the internet altered the nature of fashion and of art, full respect needs to be paid to Helmut Lang.

Laren/Elite, Freja/IMG staggering out in Balenciaga's disgustingly brilliant Fall/Winter 10 collection. Image via nowfashion.com

Methinks Mr Ghesquiere just put every last directional fashion house on blast.

Balenciaga SS 09 invite via nytimes.com/themoment

Aline Weber: One Mgmt: in ID Sept 08 PH Richard Bush via tfs

Marc Jacobs gives Hot Trannie Mess in the new Interview

Balenciaga SS08: First Look

For TI the Paris booking sweepstakes came down to one crucial moment. The first exit at the Balenciaga SS08. The honor, as is visible, went to one Kasia Struss at Women, the nicest Polish nineteen year old you could ever hope to meet. Given all the girls who came out after her, I think that was a little bit genius of Monsieur. Give that girl another season of model currency! The clothes,as was the case at Prada, served as a kind of summary of the the last three collections. Coloration that reminded you of SS 07, shapes seen at the FW 06 and the global pattern recognition strategy from FW 07. Its all I kept thinking in my blissfully jet-lagged state..."pattern recognition system" at the mad chintzs and super-70's fabric treatments that poured out. Stylists will be mixing the Prada and Balenciaga pieces with maximum ease thise season. Look, after that rapid rush of ideas over the last two years, the guy is allowed to provide a summary collection. And god bless him for that 7am call time