Last night, Balenciaga caused a frenzy on Avenue des Champs-Élysées as fans lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the brand’s front row guests. Pierpaolo Piccioli’s latest campaign stars Harris Dickinson and Winona Ryder were in attendance, along with Hudson Williams, Rachel Sennott, Josh Hutcherson, Jordan Firstman, Bill Skarsgård and Giveon. Upon arrival, the showspace was nearly pitch black, lit by a series of plinths as the Euphoria soundtrack fizzed through the soundsystem. The set was designed in collaboration with filmmaker Sam Levinson, projecting snippets of video installations starring Chloe Cherry and Alexa Demie into the show space, offering a sneak peek of Euphoria’s forthcoming third season.

Title ClairObscur,  this season explored the High Renaissance artistic technique, traversing the spaces between light and dark. With this in mind, Levinson and Piccioli’s unlikely partnership becomes clear. As the designer said, “This is why I chose Sam’s work on Euphoria to be part of the ClairObscur collection narrative: for its ability to convey a sense of our realities, through a prismatic representation of human fragilities and strengths. This show is a way of weaving stories together, leaving space to imagine a multitude of possibilities. It is about always finding the light in the darkness.”

Continuing to expand his dialogue with Cristóbal Balenciaga’s original designs, silhouettes were built with cocooning collars and hoods to “frame the face like a portrait.” Exploring fabric and form, all leather looks walked alongside heavily embellished dresses, while cashmere knitwear was paired with delicate silks. Closing out his show notes with a parting message, Piccioli left guests with this sentiment: “As if we could love until nothing remained but love. As if it were — until it will be.”