The internet went into a tailspin yesterday after Balenciaga’s haute couture autumn winter 2022 show which – as well as being the second couture show under creative director Demna Gvasalia – starred a litany of celebrities, from reality television stars like Christine Quinn of Selling Sunset to high-profile actress Nicole Kidman and music dynamo Dua Lipa. 

There was also a flash of fashion royalty: supermodel Naomi Campbell glided down the catwalk in a silk taffeta ball gown that was accessorised with matching velvet gloves.

Main image: Instagram @nicolekidman.

Meanwhile, camera phones were raised when Kim Kardashian walked the runway in a black coated jersey bodysuit dress (a piece that’s right on brand for Kardashian) with a sweetheart neckline, as her mother Kris Jenner and daughter North West watched on from the audience. The moment was a coup for the reality TV juggernaut who was famously shunned by the high fashion world in the early 2010s. 

Undoubtedly, Gvasalia is making a statement about today’s celebrity-obsessed culture. However, perhaps what is more interesting is that muses of past and present can both appeal. Take, for instance, Danielle Slavik – the model who walked the show just before Kardashian was a nod to the original world of couture. Slavik (pictured below), a Parisian of Czech descent, was Cristóbal Balenciaga’s original house model from 1964 to 1968, who went on to enjoy an illustrious career working with the likes of Chanel and Hubert de Givenchy.

Gvasalia coaxed the model out of retirement for this show, gifting her a replica of a 1966 Balenciaga couture dress, from her stint as a fitting model (a traditionally thankless and low-profile job in the world of fashion), as a sweetener for her catwalk return. According to WWD, the long-sleeved, black velvet dress was from the winter 1966 haute couture collection and was purchased by Grace Kelly, who wore it at her noted 40th birthday party in Monaco. Perhaps our fascination with glamour – and celebrity – truly is timeless.

Watch the Balenciaga haute couture autumn winter 2022 show below: