Back to the future

Balmain, one of the first haute couture houses in Paris, is returning to Hong Kong after a two-year sabbatical. Its ready-to-wear collection, created by new designer Christophe Decarnin, introduces a fusion style of tailoring the brand calls 'semi-couture'. Look for draped mini cocktail dresses and tailored separates in a mostly monochromatic palette enlivened with splashes of silver. Try the embellished T-shirts and cropped trousers in a foil-like fabric (below left; HK$4,695 and HK$8,995, respectively). The collection is available from Maria Luisa, shop 211, Lee Gardens, Causeway Bay, tel: 2907 2028.