Battle of the Fashion Week Parties: Dolce & Gabbana vs. Balmain
In Milan and Paris, the mainstay fashion designers held their own brands of afterparty. Here, a side by side comparison of each.
Dolce & Gabbana and Balmain may hail from different cities (that’s Milan and Paris, respectively), but both brands can be described as ostentatious, sexy, and feminine. Still, both their shows and after parties had very different vibes. Here, a breakdown of each.
Hosts with the most Balmain: Olivier Rousteing, 30-year-old fashion wunderkind and selfie-pro. Dolce & Gabbana: Fashion legends Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana (ages: 58 and 53, respectively).
Location, location, location Balmain: The trendy Loulou’s restaurant in Paris. Dolce & Gabbana: An impressive table set on the streets of Milan, outside the brand’s new boutique.
Tribes Balmain: A couple of Kardashians, a bevy of models – i.e. the #balmainarmy. Dolce & Gabbana: A multitude of scions.
The A-list Balmain: Kanye and Kim Kardashian West, Soko, Alessandra Ambrosio. Dolce & Gabbana: Hailey Baldwin, Sofia Richie, Rafferty Law, Sistine Stallone, Talita Von Furstenberg.
Who Partied Harder — Dolce & Gabbana or Balmain?
Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, and Kourtney Kardashian at the Balmain afterparty in Paris, France, September 2016
Soko at the Balmain afterparty in Paris, France, September 2016.
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian at the Balmain afterparty in Paris, France, September 2016.
Ellen von Unwerth, Cristina Pitanguy, Mohamed El Turki, and Jon Kortajarena at the Balmain afterparty in Paris, France, September 2016.
James Goldstein at the Balmain afterparty in Paris, France, September 2016.
Sara Sampaio at the Balmain afterparty in Paris, France, September 2016.
Cindy Bruna, Olivier Rousteing, and Maria Borges at the Balmain afterparty in Paris, France, September 2016.
Courtney Love at the Balmain afterparty in Paris, France, September 2016.
Kim Kardashian and Olivier Rousteing at the Balmain afterparty in Paris, France, September 2016.
Josephine Skriver at the Balmain afterparty in Paris, France, September 2016.
Amilna Estevao at the Balmain afterparty in Paris, France, September 2016.
Kanye West, Kim Kardashian West, Kourtney Kardashian, and Olivier Rousteing at the Balmain afterparty in Paris, France, September 2016.
Grace Bol at the Balmain afterparty in Paris, France, September 2016.
Constance Jablonski, Alessandra Ambrosio and Natasha Poly at the Balmain afterparty in Paris, France, September 2016.
Thylane Blondeau, Sistine Stallone, and Sonia Ben Ammar at the Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2017 afterparty in Milan, Italy, September 2016.
Isabel Getty, great-granddaughter of American oil tycoon, Jean Paul Getty, and Talita Von Furstenberg, daughter of Alexander and Alexandra von Fürstenberg, at the Dolce & Gabbana afterparty in Milan, Italy, September 2016.
Luka Sabbat and Sonia Ben Ammar, daughter of international movie producer Tarak Ben Ammar and actress Beata Ben Ammar, at the Dolce & Gabbana afterparty in Milan, Italy, September 2016.
Hailey Baldwin and Zoey Deutch, daughter of director Howard Deutch, at the Dolce & Gabbana afterparty in Milan, Italy, September 2016.
Rafferty Law, son of Sadie Frost and Jude Law, at the Dolce & Gabbana afterparty.
Cameron Dallas at the Dolce & Gabbana afterparty in Milan, Italy, September 2016.
Zoey Deutch and Stefano Gabbana at the Dolce & Gabbana afterparty in Milan, Italy, September 2016.
Pyper America Smith and Brandon Thomas Lee at the Dolce & Gabbana afterparty in Milan, Italy, September 2016.
Sofia Richie at the Dolce & Gabbana afterparty in Milan, Italy, September 2016.
Hailey Baldwin at the Dolce & Gabbana afterparty in Milan, Italy, September 2016.
Thylane Blondeau, Sonia Ben Ammar, Sistine Stallone and Leon Else at the Dolce & Gabbana afterparty in Milan, Italy, September 2016.
Sistine Stallone at the Dolce & Gabbana afterparty in Milan, Italy, September 2016.
Thylane Blondeau at the Dolce & Gabbana afterparty in Milan, Italy, September 2016.
Sarah Snyder at the Dolce & Gabbana afterparty in Milan, Italy, September 2016.
Zhang Huiwen,Sistine Stallone, Thylane Blondeau, Leon Else, Sonia Ben Ammar, Luka Sabbat, Pyper America Smith, Sofia Richie, Talita Von Furstenberg, Brandon Thomas Lee,Cameron Dallas, Isabel Getty, Rafferty Law, Zoey Deutch, Dylan Jagger Lee, Starlie Smith, Daisie Smith and Sarah Snyder at the Dolce & Gabbana afterparty in Milan, Italy, September 2016.
Pre-party activity Balmain: A family pre-game – Kim and Kourtney got ready together (and have the coordinating outfits to prove it). Dolce & Gabbana: A segway ride by Sarah Snyder, Dylan Jagger Lee, Pyper America, et al, through the streets of Milan. (#destroymilano)
Spring 2017 Balmain: Less embroidery and over-the-top embellishments then we’re used to from Rousteing. Lots of draping, bold colors, and snakeskin. Fashion for grown-ups. Dolce & Gabbana: Light up heels and headgear and D&G logo shirts mixed in with the brand’s typical bright colors and romantic prints. Fashion for millennials.
Best dressed Balmain: Constance Jablonski, actually pulling off that pink-fringed Balmain dress . Dolce & Gabbana: Thylane Blondeau, resplendent in red.
Necessary accessory Balmain: Kim Kardashian West’s diamond-studded grill. Dolce & Gabbana: Every guest took home a Dolce & Gabbana clutch.
