Olivier Rousteing: A Unique Twist on French Couture

Olivier Rousteing was born in Bordeux, France in 1985 and eventually moved to Paris and to study at the ESMOD, the Ecole Supérieure des Arts et Techniques de la Mod. He graduated in 2003 and began his career as a designer at Roberto Cavalli and became the head of the women’s division. In 2011, he was named the creative director of the Balmain Fashion House when he was only 25 years old. Rousteing is the youngest creative director of couture fashion house since Yves St. Lauren headed Dior in 1957. His laudable craftsmanship, attention to detail, youthful flair, and social media savvy has led to an increase of revenue within the Balmain house within the past four years.

Characterized with exuberantly hued fabric and elaborate stitching , Rousteing’s work continues the Balmain Fashion House tradition of intricate embroidery, but with a modern twist. Rousteing’s bold, modern designs brings high fashion couture into the 21st century, as he attempts to mitigates the divide between luxury and popular culture. Signature variations in lattice, intricate macramé gowns, tribal-looking patterns, and designs including involved geometric prints and symmetrical designs are Rousteing signature. The pristine craftsmanship of Rousteing’s products make his expensive designs coveted by high-profile clients, but his bold work is still disdained by others.

Rousteing's design boast intricate and detailed embroidery and stitching. 

Classic couture fashion to be Rousteing’s toughest critics. His ostentatious and extravagant interpretation of couture fashion is unique, but not always appreciated. Couture is fashion made by hand explicitly for one individual wearer’s exact specifications; it takes thousands of man hours just to make one dress.Couture items are one of a kind and the highest quality fashion available. Considering couture originated in Paris, Rousteing possesses a certain pressure to uphold the current standard of couture: easy and glamorous fashion without being bold or ostentatious .[6] Some critics believe his signature bedazzled clothes and ostentatious stitchwork threaten the tradition of French couture. His bold, in-your-face designs boast intricate lattice-work and highly textured pieces. Other designs play with stripes, sheer, and colorblocking, “offsetting oranges with purples, navies, yellows, and greens, adding texture with lace and billowing pleating fabric.” Some say Rousteing’s involved designs are gaudy and overdone, but others commend his bold style. Balmain had always set extremely high standards for couture and Rousteing’s interpretation certainly upholds the standard of quality, but changes the sentiment of the aesthetic.   






Rousteing's designs exemplify ostentatious patterns, print, and color play; criteria not unique to the realm of classic French couture. 

Rousteing’s as an artist is intriguing to me because of his obvious, involved captivating work, but also because of the manner in which he is leveraging his position to create a social statement. As a young minority, he is changing the reputation of French couture as a removed, out-of-touch society to a fashion statement that can be received and understood by individuals from all walks of life. His use of social media and popular culture celebrities has brought French couture into the public sphere, and he is known for utilizing more minority models than usual of couture houses. Although Balmain remains extremely expensive, the message behind the clothing can not only be comprehended by the wealthy. Rousteing's designs boldly evoke a sense of confidence and a dauntless attitude, yet keeping a sense of refinement with its intricate craftsmanship and attention to detail. His designs have allowed everyone to take a peak into the fashion and lives of the elite and provided an appropriate space for one to flaunt their peacock feathers, unabashedly.

Rousteing often utilzes minority models and popular culture celebrities within his campaign. “They represent the fresh, diverse and open spirit of a new generation of fashion,” says Rousteing.


Works Cited

Balmain - Campaign. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2015, from http://www.balmain.com/en_us/campaign/

Balmain Spring 2016 Ready to Wear | WWD. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2015, from http://wwd.com/runway/spring-ready-to-wear-2016/paris/balmain/review/

Fashion History: The New Look Era. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.speak-fashion.de/fashion_history/1940to1960/fashion-history-new-look-era

INHALE MAG OLIVIER ROUSTEING - BALMAIN’S GLAM-CHIC BOY » INHALE MAG. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2015, from http://inhalemag.com/olivier-rousteing-balmains-glam-chic-boy/

Olivier Rousteing: A Self(ie)-Made Man. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2015, from http://www.out.com/fashion/2015/4/02/olivier-rousteing-selfie-made-man

Olivier Rousteing, Balmain’s Instagram King - The New Yorker. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2015, from http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/10/12/trending

Show Review: Balmain Fall 2015 - The Fashion Bomb Blog : Celebrity Fashion, Fashion News, What To Wear, Runway Show Reviews. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2015, from http://fashionbombdaily.com/2015/03/show-review-balmain-fall-2015/

  

"I was born a bitch, I was born a painter" - Frida Kahlo

One of the most powerful interpretations of the world around someone contains a reflection of oneself. Frida Kahlo dedicated her life’s work to this pursuit. She was known for her unapologetic self-portraits, which showcased her unique femininity and attitude towards the world. The way that Frida depicts herself, unapologetic of her natural facial hair, and physique is empowering, but her fixation on her husband, Diego is also evident in her artwork. The two subjects are slightly contradictory in her expression as an independent-minded woman, but her highlighting her flaws and humanity is what draws me to her art. She lived a short life, born on July 6, 1907 in the “Blue House” in Coyoacán, Mexico, and died at the unfulfilled age of 47. Frida was a polio survivor, but dealt with the havoc wreaked on her body from the age of 6.

Diego en mi Pensamiento (1943)

She used her self-portraits to portray her deepest emotions and share her desires. In Diego en mi Pensamiento, she paints her adulterous husband on her forehead to indicate that he is always on her mind, she wants to be his only object of desire, and so she also paints herself in traditional indigenous Garb that she knew he admired.

La columna rota (1944)

The desire for her husband’s undivided affection ran so deep that she painted physical manifestations of her internal pain. La columna rota, in particular captures the desolation of Frida’s personal struggle. From the empty and arid background to the nails bored into her entire body, the pain she feels is evident. The column that replaces her spine and the belts sustaining her form are symbolic of the health problems she developed later in life. I believe that the “broken column” is also symbolic of her relationship with Diego Rivera, her husband being the lone pilar supporting her is compromised, and with that so is her existence as she is left alone and in agony.

El abrazo de amor de el Universo, la Tierra, Diego, yo y el señor Xótotl (1949) 

The title of this painting translates to “The love embrace of the Universe, the Land, Diego and I and Mr. Xótotl.” This portrait stood out to me as a hierarchy of nurturing. The universe contains the earth, which sustains Frida, who is caring for her dying husband. The depiction is almost spiritual, in acknowledging her place in the universe, and her husband’s place in her’s.

References: 

Frida Kahlo. (2015). Diego en mi pensamiento [Oil on Masonite]. NSU Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, FL. In Hegla Prignitz-Poda, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: Mexican Modern Art (p. 62). New York, NY: Skira Rizzoli Publications, Inc. (Original work 1943). 

Frida Kahlo. (2009). La columna rota [Oil on Masonite]. Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes and Literatura, Mexico City, Mexico. In Araceli Rico, Frida Kahlo La Agonía en la Pintura (p. 28).  Mexico City, Mexico: Instituto Mexiquense de Cultura. (Original work 1944).

Frida Kahlo. (2015). El  abrazo de amor de el Universo, la Tierra, Diego, yo y el señor Xótotl [Oil on Masonite]. NSU Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, FL. In Hegla Prignitz-Poda, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: Mexican Modern Art (p. 78). New York, NY: Skira Rizzoli Publications, Inc. (Original work 1949). 

Levine, Barbara (2009). Finding Frida Kahlo. New York: Princeton Architectural.

Burrus, Christina (2008). Frida Kahlo: 'I Paint my Reality'. London: Thames & Hudson.

Herrera, Hayden (1983). Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo (1st ed.). New York: Harper & Row.