Balenciaga is no stranger to spectacle, and its lauded Demna has built his reputation on theatrics and grandiosity. But this season he dialed down the drama, opting for precision, control, and quiet defiance. His fall collection at Paris Fashion Week, “Standard,” stripped away the excess, examining the essence of familiar dress codes with subtle distortions.
But was this a masterstroke of restraint, or just a retreat into the ordinary?
