By Cathy Horyn
Balmain was this afternoon. Christophe Decarnin did Sgt. Pepper jackets with peaked shoulders (sort of like Margiela’s) with ripped, acid-washed jeans and sparkly high heels. Dresses made you think of early bondage Versace, mixed with a bit of Alaia. I liked the cut of the jackets — the way they fell at the front — and I suppose there is a certain similarity to McQueen, but Decarnin has a way of identifying all the most interesting bits in the fashion cosmos and putting them together at the right moment. A London retailer told me her store recently sold two of his party dresses, for about $14,000 each, online.
Natasha Poly
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzMcwsMvupQkYUv5jutYcXlEl8vPfXGRMU-BaJi-cML8uWDEtz53Yo40veOvZ6nX4s9gYh_cnOw78km5zxr8YiZUCXVOTRhok6dV9sA625agkNDs1tPgXFXGTGIJef8i7_SnIVB_FzZdM/s400/Balmain+Spring+2009+Christophe+Decarnin+Emmanuelle+Alt+Women+Management+Blog+Natasha+Poly+3.jpg)
Mariacarla Boscono
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4bkx0dnXJet2aCt1iEDLFBccbOz2V44DrB1czd7q34hU_mtXvOfQrqOzPfOTKgCT6-t_cnlFmmzbSn7klSslovq0XY9f6gKu0SSr57C-pGDxxMybVzUQ0uqcoPOnoRYgV_lTbKMhjWBzp/s400/Balmain+Spring+2009+Christophe+Decarnin+Emmanuelle+Alt+Women+Management+Blog+Mariacarla+Boscono+2.jpg)
Isabeli Fontana
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6sDq7eyTgIiTia7mdfERkC8PNotfumqkiFNPcMAcnwZgQh5Cov-U2qdZH7Q5ZR1Au1Lf26hiJGD7Xpg-12m_Q3_-gFveJgaIVxcZLJEYjA0Ia0usw4YqIuPBCNHTWyOEFFkl_q7S1oQbO/s400/Balmain+Spring+2009+Christophe+Decarnin+Emmanuelle+Alt+Women+Management+Blog+Isabeli+Fontana++2.jpg)
Natasha Poly
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ3yI1bJ5Nqy_KurfZD_RRnvj-pFPTD2s8nTwlGPQ2yGwNZDyzOpy2OUdLLe8znxpGf7SFQPcEhwC1grjJUYES55sBOOUyfLo-vZqtl3nP-QL0aWe83N-H23z5POCtxBIis36V2WCltCmF/s400/Balmain+Spring+2009+Christophe+Decarnin+Emmanuelle+Alt+Women+Management+Blog+Natasha+Poly+2.jpg)
Isabeli Fontana
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLW9C25Zrnec-J7jTeRyiEg7juNqevheQEFdUOdR8k5Swmpit3-H_3GEsFlvIX-T4ZEaHP29-IDytVOKkI6XdTbnYMPfdoQ13RRgLI-zIqq0Q2uBA-nuq7tpY-ngaw57F0YHY2U4al1S1e/s400/Balmain+Spring+2009+Christophe+Decarnin+Emmanuelle+Alt+Women+Management+Blog+Isabeli+Fontana.jpg)
Mariacarla Boscono
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFncaUf9LgsyRlLfrd6EvKUDnGo-ePpK3Vhvi62p6bJFLmlDApzV_1UzQrMQJACNw430efn2Ppv8POuCqGuxROzVNAC7lxkDkZlG49MT7LujDYtKvBPSdEebCEQBIllsMbr8QiEJMEava/s400/Balmain+Spring+2009+Christophe+Decarnin+Emmanuelle+Alt+Women+Management+Blog+Mariacarla+Boscono.jpg)
Natasha Poly
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBSDEpvKTdItu9uL07HEyW6C40DsngaZKI6QajDuXi2jYh9UnISrxPkrJd9mpwJ6VAunZIxKYM7EpVi6jdQn4ae5Hnya16BrDHxvSEF2UxPwcM5QLWCwtkQa7hisvu3d3zbgkEcWmrZfm/s400/Balmain+Spring+2009+Christophe+Decarnin+Emmanuelle+Alt+Women+Management+Blog+Natasha+Poly.jpg)