Christophe Decarnin leaving Balmain

Christophe Decarnin with model Carmen Kass

I was shocked when a good friend of mine texted last week to inform me that Christophe Decarnin was leaving Balmain because he was depressed and needed to get well (!) This collides with the departure of Emmanuelle Alt (Who was in charge of styling for the brand) since she got promoted to editor in chief of French Vogue and could not continue working on this gig.

Christophe was responsible for re-inventing the french fashion house. He infused the brand with a severe touch of "Rock & Roll" and eighties inspirational touches creating the new Balmain "look" with the signature of strong shoulders,great fitting jackets, skinny jeans and safety pins.

 I'm not sure what is really going on, but it appears to me that Paris is burning as far as the fashion world concerns, first Riccardo Tisci and now this (?!) I forever love Rock & Roll and completely adored Balmain. I better snatch as much Balmian as I possible can.
Below I included a video of the women's runway show for spring-summer 2011 ( with an incredible music selection) and an interview of the designer with Suzy Menkes for the Herald Tribune.