Paris Fashion Week 2022: Cher!

September is ending, which means so is the exhausting period that is fashion month. The spring shows at Paris Fashion Week are topping off 30 days of mermaid villains, titty twisters, and celebs sucking up to designers and each other. And the City of Light is going out with...anything but a bang. More like with the vibes of a moody teenager staring at something mildly amusing, saying “cool,” then walking away to stare at their phone.

I wasn’t there—I know, I’m sure you’re surprised—but from what I saw on Getty Images, the French designers really phoned it in. Which is fine! I’m not criticizing, just observing. Maybe they used up all their creative energy on their collections for Paris Couture Week. Maybe they had a weird summer. Maybe it’s just Mercury in retrograde. Regardless, as someone who is admittedly very easily excited, I was deeply underwhelmed—too many flowers and not nearly enough outfits that made me say, “What is this and why?” Except for Balmain!

Balmain said “Fire!,” they said “The 1600s!,” they said, “Do you believe in life after love?!” There was one thing they definitely didn’t say, but you can click through to find out about that for yourself. Olivier Rousteing’s collection had over 100 incredible looks that all felt worthy of a spot at Parish Fashion Week. And, most importantly, the show had CHER.

So here are some great looks from Balmain, and some clothes from some other people.