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March has finally arrived! We couldn't wait to unveil our new collection that breathes freedom, sunshine, and the joy of living. In March, we were inspired by your fondest holiday memories. You are therefore at the heart of the creative process! Thank you for taking the time to dive back into your old albums to find THE photo that could inspire us, thank you for sharing memories that are precious to you, and finally thank you for your trust.
The Amaury sweater was inspired by Adeline Goismier's photo.
Our 4 stylists Marie-Camille, Cécile, Catherine and Maria reveal the process of creation of this collection co-created with you:
Why is this collection not like the others?
Marie-Camille, ready-to-wear designer : This collection is special because we really took the photos of our clients as a starting point. We looked at each photo submitted very carefully, and we put together our March collection taking inspiration from vintage and period details.
Catherine, Knitwear designer : Yes, for this collection, we can say that it was really the customers who came to us.
Maria, Accessory Stylist : It allowed us to explore vintage a little more. As it is already something close to our hearts and part of the Balzac Paris DNA, this collection has channeled a new aesthetic line: a mass of different visuals, atmospheres and environments. It was also very touching to feel so close to our clients by receiving their photos.
How did you come up with the idea of involving clients in the creative process?
Catherine : Even at the office, we all lent ourselves to the game by sending our childhood photos and received all these old photos with great joy, having fun trying to find out who was whose mother!
Maria : Balzac Paris is a brand that communicates, which goes a lot through the link with its customers (workshops, meetings, events). That's why it made sense for us to include them in our creative process, to get direct feedback from them while reinforcing our brand values.
Cécile's photo inspired the Zora gingham shirt.
How did the photos received contribute to your inspiration?
Cécile, ready-to-wear stylist at Balzac Paris : Starting from the photos that our clients had sent us, we were really inspired by the wardrobes of the past: the desire to find dresses from our grandmothers, our mothers, or even the ones we had when we were little!
Catherine : Taking inspiration from the photos, we discovered that there were certain cuts of dresses or even different stitches that we had never recreated before. For example, this is the first time that we have decided to include the round neck in a knit. We really play the game by daring the more childish side that we had at the time.
Maria : the shapes of the pieces, the periods, the manufacturing techniques… everything contributed!
The collection in a few words?
Cécile : Carelessness, the emotion of past memories.
Marie-Camille : Freshness! This collection is good, it's a breath of fresh air, we go back to the past, it brings back memories.
Maria : Ultra-bright, full of energy, gentleness, and affirmation; being more assertive is also what customers instill in us on a daily basis.
The Lydia dress was inspired by the photo of Melanie Vo Dinh.
Do you have concrete examples of details inspired by these photos?
Catherine : There are the little round collars with a childish look, the more worked collars of the 90s, the embroidered designs on the sweaters.
Cécile : There are quite a few codes from childhood: embroidered flowers, somewhat wide collars, embroidered swaddle, polka dots, small stripes worked on skirts and shirts. Certain cuts of dresses too, which can evoke the moments in the countryside when we were little. There are also the shoe openings on the heel like our mothers had, the long and flowing skirts of our grandmothers...
Marie-Camille : We were inspired by somewhat vintage mothers' dresses, for example by reworking the long pleated dresses of the time, adding a bigger neckline and more colors. We also find a lot of the color red with very strong prints, evoking childhood. I myself was dressed from head to toe in red during my childhood. The Balzac woman likes the childish side, a little nostalgic and also assumes her sexy side but without ever being vulgar!
Maria : For my part, as an accessory designer, we will really find these details in the heel height of the shoes, as well as in the manufacturing techniques. In particular, we have hand-braided heels like in the days of our mothers. We can also find these details on the carry of handbags; an inspiration that will be found a little more gently than for the heels.
The Natasha dress was inspired by the photo of Anne Biémouret.
Your most beautiful holiday memory?
Catherine : At my grandmother's in Alsace, with my 7 cousins playing in the garden and making cabins. We were so dirty that my parents washed us with a jet of water! We lived in the garden, it was a family summer camp!
Cécile : For me, the best summer memories are those I spent in my garden with my brothers and cousins, not necessarily when I was going to summer camp, but rather at home with my family, picking fruit, walking in the streams with my friends and tasting my mom's delicious pies.
Marie-Camille : I have very good memories of my holidays on the Ile de Ré when I was little. I spent my time cycling, and pedaling to L a Martinière to eat ice cream… and I loved climbing trees!
Maria : My parents are from southern Italy. When I was little, we spent our time between a house in the countryside and between the city. I really liked playing ping pong between the two and I loved making the road to Italy. My grandparents on my mother's side shared an agriturismo (cooperative where we could grow our fruits and vegetables, make our own wine and harvest our honey in the summer), between Calabria and Sicily. I loved it !
The Amaury sweater was inspired by Adeline Goismier's photo.
Our 4 stylists Marie-Camille, Cécile, Catherine and Maria reveal the process of creation of this collection co-created with you:
Why is this collection not like the others?
Marie-Camille, ready-to-wear designer : This collection is special because we really took the photos of our clients as a starting point. We looked at each photo submitted very carefully, and we put together our March collection taking inspiration from vintage and period details.
Catherine, Knitwear designer : Yes, for this collection, we can say that it was really the customers who came to us.
Maria, Accessory Stylist : It allowed us to explore vintage a little more. As it is already something close to our hearts and part of the Balzac Paris DNA, this collection has channeled a new aesthetic line: a mass of different visuals, atmospheres and environments. It was also very touching to feel so close to our clients by receiving their photos.
How did you come up with the idea of involving clients in the creative process?
Catherine : Even at the office, we all lent ourselves to the game by sending our childhood photos and received all these old photos with great joy, having fun trying to find out who was whose mother!
Maria : Balzac Paris is a brand that communicates, which goes a lot through the link with its customers (workshops, meetings, events). That's why it made sense for us to include them in our creative process, to get direct feedback from them while reinforcing our brand values.
Cécile's photo inspired the Zora gingham shirt.
How did the photos received contribute to your inspiration?
Cécile, ready-to-wear stylist at Balzac Paris : Starting from the photos that our clients had sent us, we were really inspired by the wardrobes of the past: the desire to find dresses from our grandmothers, our mothers, or even the ones we had when we were little!
Catherine : Taking inspiration from the photos, we discovered that there were certain cuts of dresses or even different stitches that we had never recreated before. For example, this is the first time that we have decided to include the round neck in a knit. We really play the game by daring the more childish side that we had at the time.
Maria : the shapes of the pieces, the periods, the manufacturing techniques… everything contributed!
The collection in a few words?
Cécile : Carelessness, the emotion of past memories.
Marie-Camille : Freshness! This collection is good, it's a breath of fresh air, we go back to the past, it brings back memories.
Maria : Ultra-bright, full of energy, gentleness, and affirmation; being more assertive is also what customers instill in us on a daily basis.
The Lydia dress was inspired by the photo of Melanie Vo Dinh.
Do you have concrete examples of details inspired by these photos?
Catherine : There are the little round collars with a childish look, the more worked collars of the 90s, the embroidered designs on the sweaters.
Cécile : There are quite a few codes from childhood: embroidered flowers, somewhat wide collars, embroidered swaddle, polka dots, small stripes worked on skirts and shirts. Certain cuts of dresses too, which can evoke the moments in the countryside when we were little. There are also the shoe openings on the heel like our mothers had, the long and flowing skirts of our grandmothers...
Marie-Camille : We were inspired by somewhat vintage mothers' dresses, for example by reworking the long pleated dresses of the time, adding a bigger neckline and more colors. We also find a lot of the color red with very strong prints, evoking childhood. I myself was dressed from head to toe in red during my childhood. The Balzac woman likes the childish side, a little nostalgic and also assumes her sexy side but without ever being vulgar!
Maria : For my part, as an accessory designer, we will really find these details in the heel height of the shoes, as well as in the manufacturing techniques. In particular, we have hand-braided heels like in the days of our mothers. We can also find these details on the carry of handbags; an inspiration that will be found a little more gently than for the heels.
The Natasha dress was inspired by the photo of Anne Biémouret.
Your most beautiful holiday memory?
Catherine : At my grandmother's in Alsace, with my 7 cousins playing in the garden and making cabins. We were so dirty that my parents washed us with a jet of water! We lived in the garden, it was a family summer camp!
Cécile : For me, the best summer memories are those I spent in my garden with my brothers and cousins, not necessarily when I was going to summer camp, but rather at home with my family, picking fruit, walking in the streams with my friends and tasting my mom's delicious pies.
Marie-Camille : I have very good memories of my holidays on the Ile de Ré when I was little. I spent my time cycling, and pedaling to L a Martinière to eat ice cream… and I loved climbing trees!
Maria : My parents are from southern Italy. When I was little, we spent our time between a house in the countryside and between the city. I really liked playing ping pong between the two and I loved making the road to Italy. My grandparents on my mother's side shared an agriturismo (cooperative where we could grow our fruits and vegetables, make our own wine and harvest our honey in the summer), between Calabria and Sicily. I loved it !