Erewhon Smoothies, Fake Lips And Velvet Tracksuits: Balenciaga Lands In La La Land

Demna Gvasalia has perfected the art of tongue-in-cheek design. But forBalenciaga’s pre-fall show in Los Angeles - a brand which has recently made waves with a £695 towel skirt - irony didn’t take centre stage. Despite the appearance of elite supermarket Erewhon shopping bags, coffee mugs and low-slung tracksuits reminiscent of Paris Hilton ca. 2003, it was an ode to the city whose discombobulated pop culture influence shaped an entire generation, Demna being no exception. ‘People often perceive my work as ironic, but actually, it was the opposite,’ the designer said backstage. ‘I was showing my love for the influence I got from this city [...] my cultural evolution as a teenager really came from here.’

The French house invited guests to a non-disclosed location in central Los Angeles - no surprise given the boldface name line-up in the front row: Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Eva Longoria, and the newly-appointed brand ambassador Nicole Kidman, to name a handful, attended the show. As it turns out, the venue was as familiar a view as the fashion codes the collection explored: models (some with inflated prosthetic lips) dressed in leggings, bras and sweatshirts - gym-run attire - opened the show against the backdrop of a palm tree-flanked avenue, framing the Hollywood sign.

Next up, an homage to an era defined by celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe, featuring a re-return of velour tracksuits, visible knickers and oversized coffee mugs.

Supersized grunge garments, which have become synonymous with Balenciaga, ensued, featuring shopping bags in collaboration with the A-list’s favourite supermarket Erewhon (made of leather), hotel slippers and the original bombshell, Brigitte Nielsen, who stomped the runway in towering thigh-high boots.

And no retrospective of Los Angeles’ more recent golden years would be complete with a nod to red carpet dressing. Trailing dresses, sequin gowns and gargantuan faux-fur coats (modelled by Cardi B, who else?) drew the collection to a close, leaving celebrity spectators with plenty of options for the upcoming awards season.

There was good news for Demna disciples following the livestream, too: exclusive accessories and a few select pieces of apparel were available for pre-order right after the show, delivering more sell-out cult items for the supebrand, whose imprint on fashion is irreversibly burnt into the collective consciousness of the industry. That’s something Demna’s Balenciaga and the '00s certainly have in common. In Paris Hilton’s words: that’s hot.