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There’s a special place in this world for fashion designers who can’t decide between two moods and refuse to pick. Antonin Tron is one of them. For his spring/summer 2027 collection at Balmain, he pulled from the maison’s early Parisian glamour designs and his own long fascination with California in the ’60s and ’70s. These two themes might seem like polar opposites, yet somehow, it appears they were always meant to share a closet.
The result is a woman who’s grown-up and glamorous, a little glossier and tougher than you’d expect, with a sensuality that feels straight out of a movie. She could be getting dressed in a Paris atelier or driving through Death Valley at sunset listening to Jim Morrison. Honestly, she’s probably doing both in the same week, but today, she sits in the front row of this Balmain show and watches the two characters she can’t decide between walk the runway. Finally, there’s an opportunity to channel both in one look.
The Elegant Parisian Woman
Half of this woman is a true Parisian, and she knows it. Tron went back to Pierre Balmain’s archive to channel history. Think elegant gowns featuring beading and embroidery that catch the light, plus the kind of dramatic draping that made mid-century Hollywood fall in love with the maison.
Lingerie details came from an unexpected place. Tron found photographs taken backstage at one of Pierre Balmain’s shows in the 1950s, with models caught mid-change, half-dressed and rushing between looks. That energy turned into bra tops, corset seaming, and satin suspender skirts worn with sheer silk lamé jacquard shirts. “These images are from Paris of the 1950s, but they could be today,” Tron said. He’s right. Nothing about these looks felt vintage.
Even the venue played into this mood. The show took place at the Hôtel de Maisons in the 7th arrondissement, Karl Lagerfeld’s former home. Lagerfeld worked at Balmain in the ’50s, so it was a very Parisian full-circle moment.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Balmain)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Balmain)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Balmain)
The Daring California Counterculture Woman
The other half of her is out in the desert. Tron has been fascinated by the culture and counterculture of California in the ’60s and ’70s for years. Think Joshua Tree, Palm Springs, Laurel Canyon, Death Valley—locales that drew artists and writers like Walter De Maria and Joan Didion. His references go all the way to Michelangelo Antonioni’s Zabriskie Point and a leather-clad Jim Morrison.
You can see it most in the silky prints that look like they came out of a Los Angeles fever dream. The palette follows West Coast skies at dawn and dusk: ivory, black, mineral gray, and sundown shades of copper, gold, orange, and pale yellow.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Balmain)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Balmain)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Balmain)
“Animalia” Prints
Pierre Balmain loved an extravagant animal print, and Tron tapped into this with an archival take on it. Snake print shows up all over this collection, on soft oversize coats and on long, lean pants, while eel skin adds a glossy, exotic texture to jackets and trousers. The prints read more rock star than safari. If you’ve been wearing leopard for the last few seasons, snake feels like the natural next step, and this collection makes a pretty convincing case for it.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Balmain)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Balmain)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Balmain)
Tron’s Take on Tailoring
Tailoring is where the Paris and California sides of this woman meet. Tron found inspiration for this aspect of the collection from the Christophe Decarnin era, who held the creative director role at the house from 2005 to 2011. This was a time when a sharp shoulder and well-tailored pants ruled this house’s runway. That beautiful silhouette strikes the runway once again, highlighting the house-classic 1970s pilot jacket, which starred in Tron’s Balmain debut. The sharp pants feel very much like the uniform of a ’70s California rock idol.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Balmain)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Balmain)
(Image credit: Courtesy of Balmain)
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