Olivier Rousteing, the charismatic captain of the Balmain ship, continues his voyage across a huge ocean of wool, steering far from the glittering reefs of excess. For the pre-spring collection, he took a deep breath probably somewhere between two turtlenecks to announce his new credo: easy to stitch, easy to sell!

Gone are the jackets that scream “I cost more than a Paris apartment rental.” In their place: cozy sweatshirts, body-hugging knit dresses (because comfort doesn’t have to mean potato sack), and miniskirts so short you wonder if they’re not just recycled headbands.

Like a fashion gladiator in a trance before an army of oversized cardigans, it’s knit, knit, and more knit one might think Balmain is prepping for nuclear winter rather than a resort season. Or maybe Rousteing is secretly turning Balmain into Sonia Rykiel 2.0?

Some pieces, as usual, draw inspiration from the archives of Pierre Balmain, especially the swinging sixties. Picture models draped in half-kilt, half-grandma-apron skirts, topped with circus-tent-sized white shirts perfect for an elegant round of Greco-Roman wrestling. A knitted attitude, sure but an attitude nonetheless.

FM