Balmain Spring 2011 Fashion Review

Christophe Decarnin managed to save Balmain from a major disaster after the fashion house filed for bankruptcy back in 2003 and even though his fashions are a far cry from those designed by Pierre Balmain, they still have a touch of elegance that make casual clothing fun to wear. For the spring 2011 season, Christophe sticks to the basics of white, red, and black, with denim and plenty of sparkles from head to toe. Think rock and roll here. Even elegant fabrics like satin are created to look like casual, everyday wear. Being able to do that requires a major talent. Balmain is a high end label, but even this season's collection has fallen to one minor fashion fault: the production of garments that have tears in them. Unfortunately, tears are not chic or stylish, not even on your average college student attending Harvard. Nobody would wear torn clothing to the office, even in a fashion conscious city like New York.

One of my favorite outfits is a white pullover shirt with a matching jacket that has sheer white sleeves paired with cherry red satin pants. The pants alone could be worn by a major rock star like Ann Wilson of Heart, and the jacket can be matched with a pair of jeans. There is enough shimmer here, but if you like silver jewelry, add that for the finishing touch. Another favorite of mine is the strapless black and metallic top with a pair of black suede pants with a narrow leather black belt. Black is known to be a slimming color, but the lines of these clothes will make one look even slimmer.

Christophe's imitation flag on a camisole-style top is the one thing that seems to be out of place in this collection. The strategically placed tears in it make it look slightly shabby, as do the pair of jeans that have tears in them. The satin black pants worn with the flag camisole are cool though, and will look great with anything from a denim jacket to a sequined blouse.

The glitter and sparkles on these clothes make it possible to go without accessories, but the right scarf will go with a number of these fashions. Elie Tahari's black sequined scarf for $198.00 will provide a nice contrast to any of Balmain's black and white ensembles. For jewelry, try a resin bracelet studded with turquoise from Ippolita for $375.00. Keep the accessories simple, and let the clothes be the highlight of your spring 2011 season.

http://nymag.com/fashion/fashionshows/2011/spring/main/europe/womenrunway/balmain/

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