For the Balenciaga Spring 2022 RTW collection, Demna Gvasalia created a red carpet event to showcase the looks from the season while the regular fashion show audience was seated inside the Théâtre du Châtelet, watching a big-screen livestream of the red carpet arrivals.

“I’ve wanted to do a premiere concept where the guests would be the show for many seasons,” he said. “It was nice to have a social occasion again. I hoped it would make people smile.” Smile? It was hysterical.

The familiar Balenciaga tribe of Demna’s house models, lining up to pose in character as celebrities; actual celebrities lining up to pose as models; celebrity models posing as celebrity models.And everyone—truthfully—looked drop-dead glamorously amazing, each to their own, working gigantic gowns, severe-chic sequin columns, outsize black tailoring, skinny bodysuits, fan-pleated dresses, boas, oversized jeans, track pants, evil shades, angular printed-out loafers, monstrous cyber-goth platforms.

What the fashion audience didn’t know: The red carpet performance of the spring 2022 collection was the buildup to an actual film premiere of The Simpsons/Balenciaga, in which Marge and Bart end up modelling in Paris. “Because I’ve always loved The Simpsons, for its whole tongue-in-cheek nature and the slightly romantic-naive side to it” he approached the producers without much hope that they would ever want to collaborate. “But in fact they did. They saw the blue show—the Parliament one—and liked it. Matt Groening’s been amazing,” he said.