Fashion

Alexander Wang's First Ad Campaign With Balenciaga

by Candace Bryan

When Alexander Wang's first designs for Balenciaga debuted in Paris last February, they were met with praise from everyone in the industry — Anna Wintour herself claimed they made her "proud." Now, the simple and modern aesthetic that made the collection so popular has been utilized for Balenciaga's Fall 2013 ad campaign, and the results are equally striking.

The photos, shot by Steven Klein and featuring model Kristen McMenamy, are dramatic and bizarre. Wang has said that he wanted them to look "cinematic" and to have "lots of emotion," yet it was important to Wang that the pictures focus on the garments themselves.

If you've yet to flip open your September issues, feast your eyes on the images:

Now that we can see the entire campaign, we can safely say that Wang, Klein, and McMenamy nailed it. It's dark, edgy, and indeed has a film noir quality — and yet we can't stop staring at the clothes!