Saint-Denis (AFP)

Silhouettes in black robes of clergymen walk on the water and in the dark: Demna Gvasalia, Georgian designer of Balenciaga, wonders about fashion which becomes religion in a dramatic parade, frightening limit, Sunday in Saint-Denis, near from Paris.

The guests sit in the darkness of a room in the Cité du Cinéma which traditionally hosts the parades of the French luxury house. An almost religious silence reigns while awaiting the cutting edge show with a joyous excitement peculiar to this moment.

Reflections from the lit telephones suggest that there is water below.

Velvet maxi dress, hooded coat, long clothes evoking those of priests and magistrates declined in sets with skirts for men: black dominates in these neo-gothic looks highlighted by red vampire eyes or long triangular nails , black or red varnish.

"It's Spain, the Church, the first dresses that Balenciaga had made, it was to dress the marquise to go to church", comments behind the scenes Demna Gvasalia probably alluding to the marquise of Casa Torres who noticed the talent of Cristóbal Balenciaga when he was twelve and who later dressed the Spanish royal family.

Another homecoming, more in depth, will take place in summer. The Balenciaga house, which is now part of the luxury holding Kering, has decided to reconnect with haute couture.

Called "couturier des couturiers", the Spaniard Cristóbal Balenciaga had closed his house in 1968, no longer recognizing himself in the boom in emerging ready-to-wear, and Demna Gvasalia will return after more than 50 years.

- "Optical illusion" -

From the religious cloakroom, the reflection "has evolved in many different senses: fashion as religion, the dress code that defines the person who wears it," he continues.

The austere wardrobe degenerates towards a hardcore and fetish aesthetic with a black jacket with studs sculpted in silicone, fisherman's boots transformed into waders or a "Bondage" pocket with a chain bracelet.

The shoulder line is a game of exaggeration going from that of body builder under anabolic to "pagodas which go up to the sky", according to the definition of the creator, giving the impression of a threatening extravagance.

"Pushing the limits was the challenge," says Demna Gvasalia.

Master of diversion, the creator multiplies in this fall-winter 2020 ready-to-wear collection the trompe-l'oeil effects in the image of "the world in which we live".

Worn over a neoprene sweater, a wide coat is made of latex as is a flared hooded dress with belt. Leather jackets and pants, on the other hand, have a second skin effect and are similar to diving suits.

Pleated dresses are in spandex and structured suits in jersey.

- Model housekeeper-

"We did a lot of work on stretch for tailors, we molded pieces with neoprene, for me it is also part of the Balenciaga vocabulary," said Demna Gvasalia.

"There is nothing inside, but that makes an associative line with corsetry, almost Victorian, this elegance, a posture that we do not see today".

As for sport, motocross, hockey and diving outfits adapt to everyday life with their softened protective panels.

Housekeeper, mental health assistant, founder of an animal shelter, gallery owner, gymnast, students: as usual, people from different backgrounds and atypical appearances parade alongside professional models for Balenciaga to show the 105 looks from the collection.

Age is not taboo either: participants in these shows display their wrinkles and gray hair without complexes.

© 2020 AFP