The fall men's collection by Balmain was a riot of bright color, prints and polka dots, metallic gleam and couture-caliber adornments. He opened the display with an overcoat that looked like pea-size crystals that depicted two eyes, a nose and red lips. Rousteing made a painful expression when asked how the crystals were gradient-colored to achieve the effect. Rousteing has been the creative director of the house for nearly 13 years, and now he wants to apply the same level of intensive craft and freewheeling expression seen in women's fashion to Menswear. Rousteing said that the return of a dedicated men's show after four years of coed displays was a rebirth. He said a man that is joyful, that is confident, that is not scared of being judged, a man that is feeling free. The freedom that women enjoy in fashion is expressed with daring color clashes, lavish adornments and bold jewelry, some resembling grills. Red kisses were planted at chest level on a white shirt and tie, or all over a roomy black suit. The gold wire face jewelry that bifurcated many of the models' heads was evoked by the people who appeared on the clothes, including an archival jacket fronted with two profiles piped in white. Rousteing collaborated with two artists, Prince Gyasi fromGhana, and Ibby Njoya, who hails from Cameroon, who brought African faces and visual verve to tailored jackets, blousons and accessories. The new princes of the world looked the money toting gleaming gold briefcases and walking on shiny brogues with heels trimmed in gold, and the designer likes to call them the new princes of the world. Rousteing acknowledged his long track record of bucking trends and doing his own thing during a backstage briefing. Naomi Campbell was coerced to wear a beige Cashmere coat at the end of his show, in a winking fashion. He said that it was important to be yourself, and that it was not important to be part of a trend.
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