Black leather and sexy hemlines mix with demure pastels and gold at Balmain's Spring/Summer 2014 collection with attitude, shown at Paris Fashion Week. An air of teenage rebellion dominated Balmain's latest Spring-Summer Pret-a-Porter collection, revealed in Paris Thursday, where classic fabrics clashed with youthful attitude. Grown-up dogtooth check was splashed over bomber jackets and feminine pastels were sexed up with studs and chunky gold jewelry. Models with hands in their pockets strutted down the catwalk with an adolescent swagger to a thumping soundtrack of eighties tunes including Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Relax".
Hemlines were mostly high and finished with feathers. On the rare occasions they dropped below the knee, a thigh-high slit ensured they retained their sex appeal. Over the last few years, Balmain has turned a corner from a historic brand into a cutting-edge label now headed up by youthful designer Olivier Rousteing, which has dressed stars including Barbadian singer Rihanna.
