Balenciaga sees the future very bleak and its guests at the show, from Nicole Kidman to Esther Cañadas, too

Minutes before the long-awaited Balenciaga Prêt-à-porterSpring-Summer 2025 fashion show - whether you like or dislike what comes out of the mind of its creative director, Demna Gvasalia, one always anticipates that show, which at the very least provides conversation topics - the brand sent a preliminary note from the designer to the media. It was a scan of a lined notebook page written in his own hand, with scribbles here and there, signed and underlined with a heart, stating the following: "My first memories of fashion start with me drawing looks on cardboard, cutting them out, and staging fashion shows with them on my grandmother's kitchen table. Thirty-five years later, this show reconnects me with the beginning of my vision. It is a tribute to fashion with a point of view." With this preamble, one thing was clear. Demna Gvasalia was going to do his thing, true to his idiosyncrasy and combinatory style, sometimes making you wonder if he is serious or pulling your leg, perhaps testing your faith in the honesty of fashion design. In the preceding photocall, filled with celebrities - from Nicole Kidman to Esther Cañadas, Katy Perry, Sophie Marceau, Naomi Campbell, Laetitia Casta, Ashley Graham, Lindsay Loham... - black prevailed over all, there was a sense of habit makes the monk in the mega-fan atmosphere. Regarding the collection, beyond the abundant corsetry, asymmetrical leather, plentiful denim, knotted details, sneakers, padded bombers, 1950s dresses..., volumes played a significant role, especially in long geometrically cut dresses. Overall, the collection, heterogeneous and very urban as expected, at times post-apocalyptic, once again posed a challenge, with that kind of (expensive) arte povera that the designer seems to favor, now in a return to what was going through his mind 35 years ago, then a play between daydreams on his grandmother's kitchen table, now over the dazzled heads of the most exclusive front row at the runway.