Balenciaga Boutique (Cannes, France)

Considering Cannes used to be a small fishing village, it's quite remarkable that it's become the ultimate destination for the rich and famous. But as mentioned in this post, it's actually still very laid back and down-to-earth, with plenty of cute affordable cafes and regular boutiques. Nevertheless, the first things you'll probably end up seeing when you take a stroll through the area will be the chic waterfront boulevard 'La Croisette', which is lined with luxury hotels and designer flagships.

Additional view of the wave-shaped Balenciaga boutique from the outside.

There isn't really a single boutique along this street that can't be found elsewhere, since most of the designers are big-name luxury labels. I am featuring Balenciaga, not because Cannes holds any special meaning to the brand, but I'm doing it for slightly more selfish reasons: it's my favorite designer label - along with Alexander McQueen. I do however find this boutique to be blog-worthy, because unlike other creative directors, Nicolas Ghesquière is probably one of the few who's very involved in the store design and he also dislikes having each flagship look identical. If like me, you get annoyed by the fact that much like Starbucks or Borders, labels like Louis Vuitton or Dior tend to have the exact same look regardless of whether their boutiques are in London or L.A. (despite the fact that their creative directors are incredibly innovative), it's quite refreshing to realize that Balenciaga has created a different world for each of its stores.

FW09 campaign featuring Jennifer Connelly (images: Balenciaga).

Balenciaga, which has been around since 1918, was one of those names (along with Chanel, Dior and Givenchy) that kept popping up when I browsed the vintage Vogue Paris covers a while ago - a testament of its importance in fashion history and an indication of how far it has come. What I've always loved about this brand, aside from the clothes and motorcycle bags, is the fact that unlike many of its historic designer peers, Balenciaga never felt the need to plaster a logo on every bag or accessory. I doubt most people will even be familiar with the intertwined 'B's. I've also always admired the choice spokesperson, whether it's Jennifer Connelly for the current ad campaign or Ghesquière's muse Charlotte Gainsbourg who will be promoting next year's perfume release.

Overview of the store design right after construction (top image: Balenciaga) and stocked with clothes (lower images). Loved the carpet and the old-fashioned sofa.

As expected, the Cannes store was unlike any of the others I had visited before. Despite shared futuristic and graphic elements, such as the 'asteroid' cash desk, or the 'iceberg' accessories displays, each boutique has an official theme, given by Ghesquière and French artist Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster who have worked on all store interiors as a team and derive a concept based on the location and building. While the NYC flagship is more industrial, the Paris one more sculptural and spacey or the London one an art-deco haven, the Cannes store has a luxurious gothic vibe, thanks mainly to the dark floral carpet (which was also used during the SS08 runway show), black lacquered shelves and dark old-fashioned couches. While the stark white interior of some Balenciaga stores (Paris and NYC in particular) can be very intimidating, this one had an almost cosy feel, despite the industrial lights.

The only clothing on this floor could be found on the far left wall (left), while accessories - and one fur coat- took up the rest of the boutique.

Accessories in the black 'iceberg' displays. The orchids added a nice touch, especially as the color matched the cuff and wallet on the right.

The ground floor had what most people probably desire when it comes to this brand: an extensive range of the motorcycle bags in various colors and hardware, along with jewelry, shoes and smaller accessories. The two SAs who were very friendly and helpful, eagerly showed me the newest Winter range, which consisted of bags and shoes that looked like they were designed to match a child's Lego set or Fisher Price toy. Hmmm... not really my style. The same goes for the strange smocked bag, which unfortunately looked like a purse with a serious skin disease. I think I'll stick to the classics for now...

Bags in their little nooks: emerald green and sapphire purple motorcycle bags (right).

Not feeling these... although I can tolerate the shoes. Multi-colored bags and shoes and a red smocked version of the City (lower right) which looks like it needs a dermatologist...

What I did love (besides the classic bags), were the matching cuffs/bracelets that just came out and I really liked this season's runway shoes... even the motorcycle ballerinas have grown on me. A rack towards a wall had a very small selection of clothes in mainly pink and black shades - from what I could tell, they belonged to one of the capsule collections. But for more, the basement was the place to be.

The space-age stairwell leading to the lower level (left image: Balenciaga).

Overview of the lower level right after construction (top image: Balenciaga) and only slightly less empty when stocked. The changing rooms were a little cosier (lower right).

Accessing this involved going down a narrow metallic staircase bathed in gold light. An indication that the lower level was going to be more futuristic... and it was. It looked nothing like the ground floor. The interiors here were more in line with what is considered 'typical' Balenciaga: marbled floors, sculptural elements, geometric shapes and modular display structures, such as the vertical and horizontal poles which served as clothes racks. It looked similar to some of the other stores I'd been to, but had extra touches, such as the more luxurious carpeted changing rooms, decked out in floral arrangements. A large selection of the runway collection was available here, including the sculpted sequined shoulder tops and the drape-waisted skirts. The matching shoes could be found nearby to complete the look.

An extensive range of the RTW collection and more accessories, including sexy heels and a patchwork bag.

The Balenciaga capsule collections, which include 'Balenciaga Leather', 'Balenciaga Knits' and 'Balenciaga T's' to name a few were on display as well, the ultimate item being the leather jacket, which they stocked in navy and khaki. I also ended up finding a few metallic pieces from the current holiday range for those who need to spice up their outfit this season.

An entire cluster of bags and shoes (left) and the special edition metallic leather jacket (right).

More eye candy incl: ankle booties, metallic clutch, a crocodile skin City bag and knee-high boots.

No, I didn't buy anything, even though the staff was so friendly and the store so empty, I felt like doing them (ok, and me) a favor - but alas, I'm on a pre-holiday ban. I know SAs in Cannes and other luxury hotspots have a reputation of being incredibly snobby, but this thankfully wasn't the case here, so no worries about taking a browse if you're ever in town. The same building complex also houses a Bottega Veneta, Pucci, YSL and Paule Ka flagship if you need more shopping fixes. For a more unique range of luxury brands, I'd also recommend 'Le 55', which is a multi-brand boutique on 55 la Croisette that offers more Balenciaga and everything from Margiela to Lanvin. For additional Balenciaga shopping, their website stocks bags, jewelry, accessories and even their coveted leather jackets with deliveries to the US and UK, so head on over if you have some extra cash to spend... or feel like picking out an early Christmas present...

A selectino of the FW09 RTW collection (images: style.com).

Some pieces from the FW09 capsule collections including two looks each (starting left) from 'Balenciaga Leather', 'Balenciaga Denim' and 'Balenciaga Knits' (images: Balenciaga).

Address: 65 boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes
Opening Hrs: Mon-Sat: 10:00-19:00
Balenciaga Homepage & Online Shop (US & UK only)