Under the Hollywood sign in suburban Hancock Park, Hollywood’s stars left their gated communities for a satirical show riffing on celebrity culture.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — The land of look-alikes and sycophants. A town so tinseled that proximity to someone with fame is akin to possessing that notoriety yourself.
It’s a place where USD $20 smoothies—sold at places like the organic health food store Erewhon—garner global headlines, and outfits worn by members of the celebrity style set to get coffee at Alfreds or bagels from Community Goods spawn countless replicas.
It’s the perfect setting for Balenciaga’s first-ever West Coast show, which satirises stardom through a ubiquitous Los Angeles ‘uniform’ of couture athleisure and streetwear.
Given the location, Hollywood’s stars came out in droves to attend the collection presentation. Making the pilgrimage from their hillside mansion in their gated communities, the likes of Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Salma Hayek and Nicole Kidman—the latter who was announced as the latest ambassador for the French Maison—gathered on a palm-laden street in suburban Hancock Park for the occasion.
Not since Tom Ford’s L.A. show in 2021 or Gucci’s in 2022 has ‘The Flats’ seen as many style savants in close proximity—or in cohesive dress. Though winter in L.A. means tops of 27°C the supermodels, actors, reality stars, nepo babies and influencers in attendance all riffed on Balencaiga’s all-black house codes.
Kardashian herself wore a zip-up hoodie and carried a brown paper Erewhon bag with a bouquet popping out the top. Others, whether through body-conscious or deconstructed and oversized silhouettes, complimented the limited-edition charcoal-coloured juice Balenciaga created with the cult-favourite organic grocery chain.
Indeed, it seems that carrying Hailey Bieber’s lauded ‘strawberry glaze’ smoothie is no longer the preferred way to signal your status and wealth. This is now displayed through wearing Balenciaga’s AUD$1,090 graphic shirt adorned with Erewhon’s logo.
Whether in on the joke or not, the front-row attire has defined what the next era of off-duty dressing will be. Ahead, the best celebrity looks from Balenciaga’s Fall 2024 show.