By Dara Clariza Evangelista
In fashion, texture is the language of intimacy. It’s what turns fabric into feeling, what makes luxury more than just something you see, it’s something you sense. Olivier Rousteing understands that deeply. For Balmain Spring 2026, he didn’t rely on glitter, gold, or glamour to define richness. Instead, he used texture to rewrite what luxury looks like today.
Photos: Courtesy of Gorunway.com
The collection was a tactile symphony: layers of beads, shells, knots, and raw crystals creating movement and depth in every step. You could almost hear the clothes, beads clicking softly against skin, tassels swaying with rhythm, and fabrics that seemed to breathe.
Photos: Courtesy of Gorunway.com
Each look reminded us that texture isn’t just decorative, it’s emotional. It invites closeness. It transforms simplicity into sensuality.
Photos: Courtesy of Gorunway.com
There was poetry in the contrasts. Rough wooden beads and silky draping shared the same runway, crocheted cotton met ruched satin, and shells, once symbols of travel and memory, became armor for a softer kind of strength. The amethyst top, shimmering with raw, uneven crystals, was the ultimate embodiment of this idea.
Photos: Courtesy of Gorunway.com
What do you mean there’s an amethyst top? It looked like it was pulled straight from the earth, proving that even the most unrefined materials can radiate elegance when treated with reverence.
Photos: Courtesy of Gorunway.com
Balmain’s textures this season didn’t just decorate the body, they told a story of touch, craftsmanship, and connection. In Rousteing’s hands, texture became the new currency of luxury. Not about perfection, but about presence. Not about shine, but about sensation. It’s the kind of fashion that doesn’t just look expensive, it feels alive.
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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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