By June Roberson
Crashing waves, hot sand, and seagulls soaring just overhead are just a few ways to describe the happy place Balmain built for us as its Spring/Summer 2026 collection, Continuum, drifted in. Celebrating the brand’s 80th anniversary, the show was a nod not only to its history, but to Creative Director Oliver Rousteing’s contribution to it. Opening at the InterContinental Paris-Le Grand, we found ourselves cast into the time of a far younger Rousteing unveiling his debut for the French fashion house. Surely riddled with nerves and anticipation 14 years ago, this serene redirection suggests his maturity past rigid expectation, instead finding a more innate joie de vivre.
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There to indulge in the seaside fantasy was a front row of celebs no stranger to a swimsuit themselves. Supermodel star power somewhat monopolized the guest-list as Victoria Secret Angel Taylor Hill could be found in a sort of supermodel sandwich between runway peer Cara Delevingne and male model Alton Mason. Outside of this trio we saw French model and Balmain regular Cindy Bruna, Brazilian supermodel Isabeli Fontana, Russian model Mary Leest, American Model Hannah Harrell, and Vietnamese model Luong Thuy Linh creating what was an obviously camera-shy front row. Italian Journalist, Anna Dello Russo also attended, likely making mental critiques as a form of habit from her role as the former editor-at-large for Vogue Japan**.**
Cara Delevingne, Taylor Hill, Alton Mason, Francisca Cerqueira Gomes, Flavy Barla, Linoy Friedman, Qi Wei, Karena Ng, Daniel Millar attend the Balmain Womenswear Spring/Summer 2026 show as part of Paris Fashion Week (Images courtesy of Balmain)
The dominating rigid glamour of Balmain’s past became obsolete as sharp tailoring gave way to more fluid and slouched attire, allowing an uncharted side of Oliver Rousteing’s signature to show through. For years, the brand has led the confrontational and unapologetic and while the latter remains, this season he found power in ease. Boho chic did not just meet a day at the beach; it literally became one. Macramé swim covers and coral reef encrusted sandals brought life to a marriage of dreamcatcher chic and seaside escape. Look 3 featured a shark tooth necklace that crowned an entirely seashell encrusted minidress, singlehandedly capturing miles of hidden coastal gems onto one wearable piece. Look 9 prepared for an impromptu dip as the dress took form of a towel carelessly wrapped just snug enough to survive the walk home just before Look 19 showed a sand-toned top, almost damp in effect, contoured to the model’s torso as if molded by the tide. Olive parachute pants, finished with tassels and seashell ropes, leaned into bohemian spirit over strictly coastal attire. An assortment of beaded tops and shoreside accessories ensured we did not just look the part but came prepared for it.
Balmain Spring/Summer 2026: Looks 3, 9, 19 (Images courtesy of Balmain)
As the Spring/Summer 2026 season in Paris nears its close, a theme has surfaced: many houses are trading eccentricity for ease, choosing subtlety over spectacle. Fashion, long a mirror of its time, is offering a gentler outlet amid a polarized global stage. Instead of igniting protest, designers are extending empathy, reminding us that it is not only acceptable, but essential, to revisit life’s joys, even when that feels self-indulgent. For Olivier Rousteing, that joy takes the form of a beach escape complete with sun, surf, and yes, sand. Grains scattered across seashell dresses, macramé wraps, and seafloor sandals, Continuum transforms sand from the nuisance you try to shake from your clothes to the serene material that shapes them.
Balmain Womenswear Spring/Summer 2026: Looks 1, 9, 21, 29, 38, 45, 47 (Images courtesy of Balmain)
