In conversation after his Pre-Fall Balenciaga show, Demna talked of his fascination with Los Angeles, a city he has visited dozens of times, having first absorbed its imagery through the films and TV series he had watched before visiting. This translated as a collection inspired by everything that the city has brought to fashion, via its lifestyle, pop culture, and celebrity locals. It was precisely here that a specific kind of celebrity culture was born, one that is palpable through its glittering lifestyle, that sits somewhere between a place where dreams come true and a factory for scandal, one that is simultaneously judged and envied worldwide. The celebrity press, hungry for snaps without the polished filters associated with red carpets and the big screen, has also contributed to the Hollywood myth, with its culture of paparazzi and (sometimes enthusiastically) stolen photos, which reached its peak in the late 1990s and 2000s, when these snapshots taken of stars in their “normal” lives, were bought for astronomical sums, to be put on the front pages of the tabloids. First, it was the big Hollywood stars who played the fame game with determination, followed by the bewildered international pop stars, and then the reality television stars, all fascinated by the power that comes with being a celebrity. Now, they have become some of the most famous people in the world.

Balenciaga celebrates the City of Angels and its stereotypes

A style typically captured by paparazzi has invented a whole new look, that of the “out and about” celebrity. Far from the red carpet, it refers to the moments when the stars leave their private mansions, typically spotted chatting on the phone, stepping out of their SUVs to fill up with gas, doing a spot of shopping, going to the gym, having lunch, picking up coffee to go (or could it be a green juice? There were 17 looks with a Balenciaga to-go cup on the runway), usually in sweatpants, always casual, typically in sunglasses, and possibly with a hood up to go incognito. This stereotype has clearly made an impression on Demna, who has often referenced this aesthetic in the past, and is now celebrating its influence with a number of looks infused with this, that now becomes an attitude. How could we not mention the combo that defined the 2000s, Juicy Couture and Uggs (an extra large Balenciaga-esque version of which was debuted at the show).