Christophe Decarnin Leaves Balmain
Another famed Parisian fashion house is down a designer. WWD is reporting that Christophe Decarninhe of the $1500 tattered tank topsis leaving Balmain after a five-year stint as its creative director. The designer was conspicuously absent at the label’s Fall 2011 show last month in Paris, and WWD sites rising tension with the brand’s CEO as a possible cause for his departure.
Another likely reason for the sudden split is the pressure Decarnin felt to create clothes that sell, and that he felt stuck in the direction the house was moving in. His collections were starting to look more and more similar each season, which garnered negative attention from critics.
The designer is credited for the rock and roll-centric “Balmania” that took over the fashion world in the late 2000’s. Decarnin’s collections focused on sexy, short dresses, embellished, perfectly cut jackets and strong silhouettes, and this cookie-cutter formula seemed to work quite well. Beyonc, Kanye West and Kate Moss are huge fans, and despite the astronomical prices, the pieces sell outand fast.
Unlike the team at Diorwhich is taking its sweet time to name Galliano’s replacementa successor will reportedly be announced very shortly, and will likely come from the current in-house Balmain design team. Cathy Horyn at The New York Times suggests that stylist Melanie Ward is another possible contender since she stepped in to help put the Fall 2011 show together after Decarnin disappeared.
Chances aresince the designer will be replaced by someone close to the brandthat the collections from here on out will be more of the same. We hope that Decarnin will head to a house where he can showcase more of his range, and not be boxed in by the signature Balmain aesthetic.
What do you think about Christophe Decarnin’s departure? Will you miss his Midas touch, or do you think that his split from Balmain is for the best?
Photo via Imaxtree
