Source:
https://scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/fashion/article/3178892/who-was-balenciaga-show-kanye-west-and-anna-wintour
Post Magazine/ Fashion

Who was at the Balenciaga show? Kanye West and Anna Wintour sat with Bling Empire, Selling Sunset stars in example of the brand’s high-low approach

  • A-listers like Kanye West rubbed shoulders with Netflix stars such as Selling Sunset ’s Christine Quinn and Bling Empire’s Jaime Xie at the Balenciaga show
  • The show’s guest line-up reflected the luxury label’s ability to cater both to high-end consumers and sneakerheads
Kanye West at the Balenciaga spring 2023 show at the New York Stock Exchange. The show’s front row also featured less well-known figures, such as Netflix stars. Photo: GC Images

The Balenciaga spring 2023 show, held at the New York Stock Exchange on May 22, attracted some very famous (and some less famous) people.

As such, A-list players like Kanye West, who goes by Ye, rubbed shoulders with Netflix reality stars such as Selling Sunset’s Christine Quinn, and Bling Empire’s Christine Chiu and Jaime Xie.

Christine Quinn at the Balenciaga spring 2023 show. Photo: Instagram
Christine Quinn at the Balenciaga spring 2023 show. Photo: Instagram
Jaime Xie at the Balenciaga spring 2023 show. Photo: Instagram
Jaime Xie at the Balenciaga spring 2023 show. Photo: Instagram

The guest line-up reflected the high-low approach of Balenciaga. By catering to both high-end consumers and sneakerheads, the label has become one of Kering’s success stories. Kering is the luxury group behind Balenciaga and brands including Gucci, Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta.

The show felt like two collections in one: the first section featured chic, work-appropriate looks for grown-ups with jobs, while the second part was a collaboration with sportswear giant Adidas aimed at streetwear fans.

Here’s the lowdown on the front-row action at the show.

Quinn took a selfie with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour at the show.
Quinn took a selfie with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour at the show.

Fans of Selling Sunset are familiar with Quinn’s fabulous get-ups and her love for Balenciaga. She attended the show as a VIP client of the label and was visibly excited to be there. While waiting for the show to start, she approached Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour for a selfie, which made for an awkward but very funny moment.

Long-time Balenciaga fan and campaign model Kim Kardashian didn’t make an appearance – she was partying in Portofino, Italy, for the nuptials of her sister Kourtney to Travis Barker – but the only celebrity able to outshine her these days did show up: her ex-husband Kanye West.

Kanye West and a masked Demna Gvasalia at the Balenciaga spring 2023 show. Photo: Vincenzo La Torre
Kanye West and a masked Demna Gvasalia at the Balenciaga spring 2023 show. Photo: Vincenzo La Torre

He made a grand entrance right before the show began and went to congratulate Balenciaga’s creative director Demna Gvasalia after the show. Gvasalia was clad in a latex mask, like his models on the runway, while Ye wore the oversized boots that debuted at the show (and that are likely to go viral once they hit stores later this year).

Helen Lasichanh, Rocket Ayer Williams and Pharrell Williams at the Balenciaga spring 2023 show. Photo: Getty Images
Helen Lasichanh, Rocket Ayer Williams and Pharrell Williams at the Balenciaga spring 2023 show. Photo: Getty Images

Ye was not the only A-list rapper to take in the collection. Pharrell Williams, like West, is also an Adidas partner and showed up in a Balenciaga bomber. He brought his wife, Helen Lasichanh, and his child, Rocket Ayer Williams, to the event.

Chloe Sevigny and Alexa Demie at the Balenciaga spring 2023 show. Photo: Vincenzo La Torre
Chloe Sevigny and Alexa Demie at the Balenciaga spring 2023 show. Photo: Vincenzo La Torre
Sevigny and husband Sinisa Mackovic arrive at the show on May 22, 2022. Photo: GC Images
Sevigny and husband Sinisa Mackovic arrive at the show on May 22, 2022. Photo: GC Images

Euphoria star Alexa Demie looked great in a deconstructed denim ensemble from the label and sat next to actress Chloe Sevigny, who wore a printed floral dress and indulged in some PDA with husband Sinisa Mackovic outside the show venue.

Xie and her father Ken Xie at the Nasdaq MarketSite. Photo: Instagram
Xie and her father Ken Xie at the Nasdaq MarketSite. Photo: Instagram

While most guests at the show had never been on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange, especially on a Sunday morning – yes, some showgoers did try to ring the famous bell but to no avail, as it was out reach – Bling Empire’s Xie was in somewhat familiar surroundings. She had previously visited the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square, New York, with her father and founder of tech company Fortinet, Ken Xie.