Probably to many, the name Christophe Decarnin says little, if anything. Yet, this designer who has long since left the scene, created, thanks to his vision combined with the fame of a French fashion institution brand, such a buzz that he influenced much more than a catwalk season, but a real craze that dominated the fashion system for several years. We are in the period between 2008 and 2011 and Decarnin is the creative director of Balmain: well before the visual opulence of Olivier Rousteing, the Parisian fashion house was traveling on frequencies somewhere between indie sleaze, military-chic and a certain riot-core attitude that anyone who lived through those years remembers perfectly. After all, how can we forget those worn-looking Napoleon jackets paired with sequined micro shorts, leather slim pants, cut-out tank tops that knew how to emphasize the body while remaining basically grunge? We all remember it, because Balmain’s imprint in those few years of Decarnin’s creative direction was so impactful that it marked an iconic chapter in fashion history. Perhaps, the last major chapter of a trend that had managed to establish itself as a mass phenomenon, well before the advent of social media. Indeed, if today trends easily reach the general public to the tune of reels, tutorials and Instagram posts, back in the day this system was much more complex. Sure, there were magazines or fashion shows could be accessed on Style.com, but this rightly remained the exclusive preserve of experts and enthusiasts. Slowly, the first fashion bloggers were beginning to pop up on the web, and it was this style that many embraced for their digital debut. <\/p>\n\n
Sure, maybe not everyone could afford original Balmain garments, but in a way that was what “Balmania” or Balmain mania of the early 2010s was all about: it was one of the first trends to be brought into fast fashion. Whether it was Zara or H&M, those crop jackets with structured shoulder straps and exposed frogs were practically everywhere, anticipating by a decade what is now a habit in contemporary fashion. And so, from big fashion editors like Emmanuelle Alt or supermodels like Kate Moss, to young fashion school students little more than 18 years old, all carried on this sort of “uniform” of the last great contemporary pre-social media trend. A virality that today is back in a more nostalgic key than ever, and to see those photos of Daria Werboy and Gemma Ward – iconic models of that period – wearing those jackets embellished with studs, Swarovski and military chains, makes one a little smile and a little reflect. Reflect, because of that Christophe Decarnin has hardly been heard from again. In the contemporary welter of creative directors, a designer who created such noise would surely have been hailed and contended for by most. Instead he chose to retire long before any of this began. <\/p>\n\n
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