The Balmain Pre-Fall 2025 collection mixes historic Versailles pomp and contemporary Parisian elan.

Olivier Rousteing’s negotiations include a typical Balmain peak lapelled tailored jacket that explodes into mini panniers at the hips. Evening dresses combine grandiose materiality with fleeting, borderline scanty silhouettes. Draped tops and dresses are cut in a trompe l’oeil spectrum of stone that gives them the appearance of weathered classical statues. Wrapped mini skirts and jackets are crafted from gold brocade frogging over densely woven cotton linen, while a white cashmere sweater features two parallel horizontal grids that simultaneously reference the Breton shirt and the Balmain’s officer jacket staple.

Around the structure there is slouch in diamond quilted leathers and denim (plus denim with Versailles worthy crystal embellishment) and oversized contemporary military outerwear in leopard and cheetah. Tweed, which Rousteing says represents around 30% of daywear sales, is deformalized through color, embellishment, cut, and placed in combination with leathers. Hardware includes the founder-favorite gold chains on belt charms and jewelry and the big-buckled belt detailing on bags and powerfully waisted envelope dresses.

Silk robe suiting and scarf-fronted silk shirting create a Balmain-by-way-of-Beau Brummel starting point before he breaks into low lapeled, high waisted suiting featuring decadent gold hardware and pants hemmed high enough to showcase wickedly pointed stack-heeled boots. Topped with the Parisian version of newsboy caps and cinched with more belting, these looks mix the sartorial architecture of the 1940s with the 1970s and propel them towards a very French flavored form of futurism.