La-La-Land is Now Demna-Land: Balenciaga’s Ur-Hollywood Runway Vision Takes Over LA

Hancock Park may never be the same again. On a bright Saturday afternoon, Balenciaga staged their pre-fall 2024 show on a closed street in the quiet, leafy neighborhood that is typically the haunt of affluent Hollywood families. Nowadays, however, in the wide, oak tree-lined streets, we saw different types of heels – which resemble socks – walking on the asphalt, giving a new meaning to the street style.

For security reasons, the exact location of the show had been kept secret from attendees, who were ferried from several blocks away. Given the winding line of blacked-out SUVs, guards with earpieces and matching goth-glam outfits, the crowd looked less like a fashion show than the inauguration of a Transylvanian head of state. However, security was lighter for at least one showgoer, a resident of Hancock Park, who only had to walk out the front door to take a seat at the show.

Kim Kardashian, sitting with sister Kendall, carried a leather tote that looked like a brown paper Erewhon shopping bag — an Ur-LA vision — full of flowers, which she gave to Demna after the show. Natasha Lyonne wore an early-aughts-esque bubblegum pink velvet hoodie, while newly announced Balenciaga brand ambassador Nicole Kidman parted the sea of ​​onlookers in a velvet dress with a sculpted bodice. Nicola Peltz and Brooklyn Beckham, Vittoria Ceretti (more used to walking than sitting) and Lil Wayne were all seen in the front row. The guest of honor, however, was the Hollywood sign, perfectly positioned in the distance among the palm trees of South Windsor Boulevard.

The show opened with a sonic jolt of techno, peppered with wellness-themed radio ads, promising nonsensical power and enlightenment. (One of the lyrics, all written by Demna and his husband/music director BFRND, read: “Welcome hungry souls to the realm of hungry stomachs.”) The collection offered a sardonic commentary on Angeleno style: oversized Ugg boots with stilettos . ; thongs peeking out from low-cut tracksuits; the aforementioned leather Erewhon bags, but also coffee thermoses and reusable metal water bottles. Cardi B, dressed in a cobalt furry coat, played the role of an instantly viral celebrity model; while former Helmut Newton model Brigitte Nielsen was cast as the IYKYK fashion icon. When Balenciaga CEO Cedric Charbit stood up after the finale and indicated that everyone else could do the same, a few guests shouted “Encore!”

As we drove west on Melrose after the show, it was hard not to notice all the accessories and sartorial details that Balenciaga had just exaggerated to critical and even comic effect. Even a proven European like Demna knows one cardinal rule about Los Angeles: there’s nothing Hollywood loves more than a show about Hollywood.