Dear Shaded Viewers,
If there’s a new normal in the realm of unapologetic luxury, trust Balenciaga to walk in—practically on pointe, with a tongue-in-cheek sneaker-pump hybrid—and rearrange the furniture. For its Winter 25 Campaign, the house didn’t just call the usual names: it commandeered a hotel in Biarritz and filled it with a cast that makes the word “client” feel laughably modest.
Here’s the thing: When Nicole Kidman and Isabelle Huppert sashay down a stairwell beside Claudia Schiffer and Patrick Schwarzenegger—cut to Liu Wen, Adut, and Roxane smoldering in a salon—it’s artifice in the highest key. Juergen Teller, lensman par excellence, and his creative partner-slash-wife Dovile, bring their off-kilter precision to images so honest they’re almost mocking the idea of opulence.
Who’s Wearing What?
Nicole Kidman in something you wish you could wear for morning coffee.
Isabelle Huppert redefining “couture clientele” with a single gaze.
Claudia Schiffer, still every inch the supermodel—the whole cast in looks that flip between razor-sharp tailoring and the shocking nonchalance of the Balenciaga x PUMA pieces.
There’s an almost cinematic clash between these sharply drawn personalities and the ornate, velvet-heavy backdrop. Teller doesn’t so much capture as confront: angles are harsh, light is untamed, the vibe fluctuates from awkward family portrait to ultra-cool afterparty—sometimes in the same frame.
The new “it” bags. You’re mentally filling your closet as you scroll—waxed-suede Rodeo Handbag, Le City Bag in aviator shearling, Carrie Carry-All in sesame, and a pink croc-embossed Rodeo that begs to be photographed by the paparazzi you claim to hate. Even the shoes get the full Balenciaga treatment: the Shibuya Pump, mashing up athletic details with a suspiciously elegant pump silhouette; the Hamptons Sneaker taunting you to wear white in winter; the Bel Air Flat Ballerina daring you not to arch an eyebrow.
This isn’t just a campaign. It’s a high-gloss, exquisitely awkward fever dream: part hotel noir, part red carpet, entirely Balenciaga. Welcome to Winter 25. Pull up a chair—if you dare.
Later,
Diane
