Yesterday in Los Angeles, Balenciaga’s pre-fall 2024 show was staged on Windsor Boulevard, with the Hollywood sign as the backdrop to the runway. It was a fitting show location, as Demna’s new collection paid tribute to LA culture and street fashion (of course, Y2K-style velor tracksuits and shopping bags from status supermarket Erewhon made an appearance). The show’s casting, meanwhile, was as exciting as the decor: The show featured stars such as rapper Cardi B and legendary ’80s model and actor Brigitte Nielsen, who marked her big return to the catwalk. “I’m starting over,” Nielsen said Fashion. “I’m 60 and starting to model again – who would have thought that?”
Of course, the Danish model is no stranger to navigating the high-fashion world. In the 1980s, Nielsen rose to fame when she began modeling for iconic fashion photographers like Greg Gorman and Helmut Newton. “Helmut asked so much of you: you weren’t just a hanger-on,” Nielsen remembers. “He really made you part of the story he had in mind when he took his photos.” Nielsen also walked the runway for designers like Thierry Mugler, including his own now famous retrospective show from 1992 in which Nielsen walked down the runway with crutches. “Thierry Mugler was one of the best,” says Nielsen. “I was filming [a movie] and had an accident on set that twisted my foot, so I had to wear a brace. Thierry said: ‘No problem, it looks fantastic with the crutches.’ We spray painted the stools and I walked out feeling like I made a million dollars. That’s what great artists do: make a moment into a moment.”
Nielsen is running for Balenciaga this weekend, she admits did need to do some preparation to get back into modeling mode. As a fan of the label and its comfortable clothes, Nielsen was attracted to the collaboration with Balenciaga to make that comeback possible. “It was very, very exciting. Demna has a great perspective: his young street fashion is fantastic,” says Nielsen. “He wants people to feel special because they are normal and comfortable. Even though the simplicity is there, you feel striking.” Her runway look – a tight black turtleneck with black jeans – was “terribly Brigitte Nielsen,” she says. “I love anything stretchy and form-fitting. I always want to feel like I’m being hugged.” The look was accentuated with a pair of sky-high over-the-knee boots. “I will say, when I was 60 years old, honey, it took me a while to get used to the seven-inch platforms,” says Nielsen. “Helmut Newton always said that you can never be tall enough. Plus, there’s nothing better than having people look at you.”
Since walking in a fashion show means all eyes are on you, Nielsen also adds that she viewed the runway cameo as a kind of performance art. Together with Demna she ended up on a walk that was deliberately powerful and strong. “I wanted to walk with a confident attitude,” says Nielsen. “That’s actually my middle name. Life is [all about] take a walk with confidence and courage.” During the show, the model also felt empowered to see such a diverse cast walking alongside her. “In the eighties, [models] had to be young and slim,” says Nielsen. “Today you can be a woman in your sixties and still be on the catwalk. The diversity of ages and sizes is so great [to see]– I really think this is the new us.
