Paris Fashion Week, day three, and the fashion pack finally got to bear witness to Antonin Tron stage his debut collection as the creative director of Balmain. Tron became the creative force behind the fabled French fashion house back in November, subsequent to the exit of Olivier Rousteing. The French designer (and graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp) opted to present his inaugural lineup at the Palais de Tokyo. Ushering in Balmain’s new era, the designer stripped everything back. Following the brand’s signature house codes, on fine display were solid leather jackets and structured shoulders. The slick showcase also featured military-inspired outerwear, sculpted waists, metallic embellishments, and oversized sunglasses.
Balmain Fall 2026 Collection Review
Read below the reactions of theFashionSpot’s forum members:
“This is not Balmain, this is Valmain…with a ‘V’ from Vaccarello.” [jeanclaude]
“Who is his Balmain woman meant to be? The cousin of the YSL woman? We don’t need a bootleg version. For a first collection, it’s surprising to see that there’s no effort at all.” [Thefrenchy]
“So unnecessary and boring, done a redone a thousand times.” [Creative]
“Ouch. It seems they tried to move closer towards pre-Olivier time mixing in a bit of [Christophe] Decarnin with [Oscar] De La Renta’s time there. Doesn’t look good. It feels like a C-to-B List brand and doesn’t add much to the fashion landscape. It’s missing the pop necessary to turn Balmain around.” [Salvatore]
“Even at his tackiest, Olivier’s clothes had an exuberance. This looks shockingly basic, doesn’t even look like it belongs in Paris. Very NYFW.” [Marc10]
“Yuck. Cheap, uninspired, and poorly made. Looks like rubbish you’d find at a thrift store.” [Squizree]
“I’m tired of this 2020s take on the ’80s’80s slick, sexy power woman. We’ve seen it done millions of times from YSL, Phoebe Philo, Khaite, COS, Alaïa, and Ferragamo. Enough.” [Grets]
See all the looks from the Balmain Fall 2026 collection and click here to join the conversation.
