Balmain new store on rue saint-Honoré

The new Balmain flagship store has moved into a 630 sq.m. space recently vacated by Spanish ready-to-wear giant Zara on rue Saint-Honoré. The brand’s biggest outlet, which looks and feels like a grand Parisian apartment, was designed by Balmain’s star artistic director Olivier Rousteing in tandem with AMV studio and inspired by Versailles and its Hall of Mirrors. Start in the first salon with its mirrored furniture showcasing bag and accessory collections, and then move on the “safe-deposit gallery” to pour over caps, clutch bags, belts and scarves. Next, climb the sweeping staircase to discover the menswear collections before entering the largest salon dedicated to women’s collections organized by color. Finally, get a front-row seat at Balmain’s most recent fashion shows thanks to the flagship store’s virtual reality headset experience, before embarking on a five-minute adventure called “My City of Lights”, the brainchild of Olivier Rousteing.