Balenciaga AW13 collection

Alexander Wang was appointed creative director at Balenciaga back in November last year, after Nicholas Ghesquière’s departure after 15 years at the helm. So it was no surprise Wang’s debut collection for the brand was ticketed as one of the most hotly anticipated events of the whole of Paris Fashion Week.

Known for his eponymous New York downtown cool, here was the upstart New Yorker taking the reins at the esteemed house of Balenciaga, so did he do a good job of filling those rather big Ghesquière-sized boots? In a word, yes.

It was clear that Wang had spent a long time down in the Balenciaga archives as he presented a very grown-up collection with many of the hallmarks we have come to know and expect of the Basque fashion house - curved hems, sloping shoulders and a palette centred on black and white. The designs had extraordinary surface detail and most importantly the collection looked wearable.

It is a fair statement to say there was definitely more Balenciaga than Alexander Wang in this particular collection – and for a first season, this was to be expected -  his predecessors we duly noted and paid homage to but there was also a clear sign he will evolve the brand with his own personal aesthetic.

It will be fascinating to see how the fashion-buying world reacts to this collection.

See the collection here.