Models in ballooning gowns, voluminous capes and pants embroidered with ostrich feathers prowled a circular catwalk under the baking midday sun in designer Pierpaolo Piccioli's debut haute couture collection in Paris on Wednesday.
Autumn/winter looks including cashmere coats, long leather gloves, and gowns covered in feathers glided past guests fanning themselves as another heatwave engulfed the city.
Dresses with large balloon hems and jackets with rounded backs evoked the non-conventional, architectural fashions the label's founder Cristobal Balenciaga was known for.
Piccioli, who previously spent 16 years as creative director of Valentino, took over at Balenciaga a year ago and is trying to make his mark on a brand shaped by his predecessor Demna's 10-year tenure, which included streetwear hits like "ugly" oversized sneakers.
Balenciaga is one of the smaller fashion houses under the Kering luxury group, which also owns Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, and Bottega Veneta. It reinstated its haute couture collection in 2020 after suspending it in 1968.
After the show, Piccioli emerged flanked by 30 of his top creatives, all wearing white lab coats, to applause.
Front-row guests included actors Demi Moore and Cynthia Erivo, while Kering CEO Luca de Meo also looked on at the show that took over the gardens of the historic Cite Universitaire student housing complex.
