The one staged Saturday night at the Théâtre de Châtelet in Paris on the occasion of the presentation of Balenciaga’s Spring/Summer 2022, was a giant pop happening.
A “show” impossible to define as such but which had all the characteristics of the art form born in New York thanks to the intuition of the American artist Allan Kaprow in 1959.
A marked focus on the event, or rather meta-event, which becomes theater in front of the same “actors” unaware that they are gradually becoming part of the work itself.
All the guests, who posed for a myriad of photographers crowded on the red carpet – red was also the background of the shots – realized they were part of the show as they went to take their seats inside the theater. The images of what was happening outside were visible to all the guests now inside, and that in fact the show was taking place in front of their eyes in a completely unconscious way
Many wore the looks of the new Balenciaga collection designed by Demna Gvasalia, including a huge lineup of celebrities such as Cardi B, Lewis Hamilton, Juergen Teller, Isabelle Huppert and Elliot Page. But also members of the maison’s atelier staff such as her right-hand man Martina, designers Emmanuel, Felix, Romain, her personal assistant Tally, model Yuri, her husband Loïk and so many other friends of the brand.
The catwalk of guests on the red carpet was interspersed with the models, also obviously wearing the SS22 looks, who meanwhile mixed heterogeneously with this red-carpet/show.
A sort of manipulation of the way we are used to seeing things, to codify situations and moments, environments and symbols, overturning and disrupting the ideas we often take for granted.
Once the red-carpet/show was over, everyone took their seats inside the theater and Gvasalia presented a special episode of The Simpsons, in which the character of Balenciaga’s creative director – animated in the classic style of the sitcom created by Matt Groening – decides to hold his own fashion show in Springfield, convinced by a letter from Homer who was trying to organize something for Marge’s birthday.
Characters such as the bartender Moe Szyslak, Clarence Winchester who opens the parade, Homer himself, Smithers, Bart, Lisa, the twins Patty and Selma and finally Marge parade wearing clothes from old Balenciaga collections. Among the audience is easily recognizable even the “Simpson” version of Anna Wintour.
Below you can check out the special Simpsons x Balenciaga episode.
