Could it be that Olivier Rousteing has changed channels this season and discovered old TV gold in the shape of Dynasty? He didn’t admit to it backstage, but the sporty houndstooth skirt suits cut above the knee, the Alaïa waists and shoulders, and all that gold certainly pointed to Denver, Colorado circa 1985. Throw in Cindy Crawford amongst Rousteing’s army of today’s top girls, and Alexis Carrington-Colby could have sat front row, straight off the Concorde. With a soundtrack of Frankie Says Relax and You Spin Me Round (Like A Record), little doubt was left as to the theme of the collection, but while it may sound cheesy it was so brilliantly executed it was hard not to like it. Rousteing’s newfound love for sports glam was the result of his rethinking of the Balmain girl. 'It was like, what is this girl like at nine in the morning, and not just at 9pm?' he said backstage.
While his woman may be a working nine to nine rather than nine to five, there was certainly a Working Girl quality to the collection, echoing the power of a decade, which Rousteing is too young to remember. The likeable thing about the designer and his work is namely that: he isn’t ashamed of being young, of loving glamour and all that glitters, and obsessing about pop culture like the rest of his generation. And if it wasn’t an ode to eighties soap costumes, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to attribute elements of Rousteing’s collection to the wardrobe of Kris Jenner, the matriarch on his one of his favourite TV shows, Keeping Up With The Kardashians. He was, however, quick to dismiss any muse links to her daughter. 'Obviously I love Kim, but she’s a friend. She’s not something else.' Luckily, the collection had something for all of the Kardashians, and the Jenners.
