By Dara Clariza Evangelista
Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Balenciaga debut was less about shock and more about softness, a poetic return to fashion that breathes. Within the brand’s Paris headquarters, the designer known for emotion-drenched couture brought a world of sweeping silhouettes, tactile craftsmanship, and color that felt alive.
Volume was everywhere. From ballooning skirts that grazed the floor to sculptural tunics that swayed with each step, Piccioli sculpted air and fabric into motion. His silhouettes weren’t meant to dominate the body but to give it space, to let it exist, breathe, and move freely. Every look carried that same whisper of lightness, an elegant refusal of restraint.
Photos: Courtesy of Gorunway.com
Texture became the quiet hero of the collection. Dresses bloomed with three-dimensional petals, soft knits took on sculptural form, and satin skirts swelled like captured wind. Even the most minimal pieces, a crisp cropped top or an airy tunic, had weight in their material story, proof that craftsmanship doesn’t have to shout to be seen.
Photos: Courtesy of Gorunway.com
And then there was color: vivid, pure, emotional. Emerald green, sunflower yellow, lilac, absinthe, and magenta each told a story of joy. There were no washed-out tones, no apologies, just bold, painterly contrasts. Even in monochrome moments, texture played the role of color, catching the light like movement frozen midair.
Photos: Courtesy of Gorunway.com
Gone were the exaggerated hoodies and meme-ready gimmicks. In their place stood clothes that felt deeply human, rooted in the touch of fabric, in how it falls and folds, in how color can change a person’s mood. This was Piccioli’s message: that beauty, at its best, comes from feeling something real.
Balenciaga, once defined by sharp irony, now pulses with quiet optimism. And in a world still chasing spectacle, Piccioli’s version of drama, crafted through air, texture, and color, feels refreshingly sincere.
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Jasmine Curtis-Smith is on the cover of STYLISH Magazine right now, as she shares her thoughts on good storytelling in films, as she’s set to star in upcoming movies Open Night, a 2025 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival sapphic film entry; and Manila’s Finest, an upcoming 2025 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) crime drama movie.
Read the Stylish Magazine September-October 2025 cover story here.
Watch out for a new #StylishPodcast episode featuring our cover girl Jasmine Curtis-Smith, dropping soon on Facebook and YouTube.
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