Yes, we still have to wait till Nov. 5 to shop the collection, but Tuesday's epic Balmain x H&M [1] runway was about so much more than the clothes.
Olivier Rousteing is brought his catwalk to life with the same showmanship he's delivered for Balmain's Fashion Week presentations, sparing no detail for his diffusion line with a two-level runway and a live performance from the Backstreet Boys. Add to that the #BalmainNation that was out in full force, including preshow appearances from Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, taking the red carpet before they stomped the runway in the collection's embellished minis and pearl-adorned blazers, and it proves that this isn't just the coolest collaboration, but perhaps the most buzzed-about runway show of the year. Read on to see why.
Kendall opened the show.
With Gigi not far behind.
Karlie hit the runway in an embellished blazer and a bare midriff.
Alessandra Ambrosio hit the catwalk in a quintessential Balmain style.
Gigi slipped into a second look.
So did Kendall.
Yes, that's the Backstreet Boys kicking off the postshow party.
The supermodels gave us #squadgoals backstage.
Jourdan Dunn, Joan Smalls, Gigi Hadid, and Bella Hadid were the ultimate Balmain army.
Constance Jablonski gave us a BTS peek at the lineup.
The models glammed up backstage.
Olivier Rousteing and Gigi held hands.
The red carpet was star-studded with appearances from . . .
Gigi Hadid
Jourdan Dunn
Kendall Jenner
Kendall and Gigi hugged it out before the show.
Leigh Lezark
Martha Hunt
Pernille Teisbaek
Kylie Jenner
Chelsea Leyland
Alexa Chung
Diane Kruger [2]
Johannes Huebl
Coco Rocha
Jessica Hart