PARTIES

Balmain x H&M Takes Over NYC

With the Backstreet Boys, burgers, and a couple of Jenners.


Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and Jourdan Dunn

In case your Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat accounts are simultaneously out of order, the international fashion pack came together in New York last night to celebrate the launch of Balmain x H&M. Even the presence of guests like Diane Kruger, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Kylie Jenner in the front row—and the stomps of models Jourdan Dunn, Joan Smalls , and Gigi Hadid on the runway— couldn’t overshadow the main event. In the span of one evening, Olivier Rousteing transformed a downtown locale with a crew of voguers, a packed pop-up shop, and the rumor—and ultimate reality—that the Backstreet Boys would reunite for a special performance. (Rousteing did promise a once-in-a-lifetime experience, after all.) This being Balmain, it was all about the details. The seating assignments resembled futuristic plane tickets and the after-show snacks were burgers and fries in branded black boxes. Many a partygoer was decked out in Balmain—and some even tossed their originals aside to try on the H&M offerings. The high point of the evening was no doubt the return of the Backstreet Boys, who pleased the A-list crowd with hits like “I Want It That Way” and, natch, “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).” The music was the same, the dancing even better, and the fashion—Balmain for H&M, of course—was a clear improvement over the group’s ‘90s getups. “Thank you Olivier!” the Boys shouted as they exited the stage. Thank you Olivier, indeed.

Photos: Balmain x H&M Takes Over NYC

Olivier Rousteing and Kendall Jenner. Photo by BFA.com.

Kylie Jenner and Lewis Hamilton. Photo by BFA.com.

The Backstreet Boys with Olivier Rousteing and Ann-Sophie Johansson. Photo by BFA.com.

Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and Jourdan Dunn. Photo by BFA.com.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Photo by BFA.com.

Models backstage with Olivier Rousteing. Photo by BFA.com.

Alexa Chung. Photo by BFA.com.

The Backstreet Boys at the H&M x Balmain fashion show.

Photo by BFA.com.

Diane Kruger. Photo by BFA.com.

Ellie Goulding. Photo by BFA.com.

Julia Restoin Roitfeld. Photo by BFA.com.

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