SAINT JEAN – II – Balmain

Named for the Alpine village where Pierre Balmain was born, the Saint Jean collection of frames finds inspiration in the designers earliest years, long before the foundation of his eponymous couture house. The ranges silhouettes clearly echo the coursework of the young Balmainthe precise and exacting lines of mathematics and engineering as Pierre prepared for what he believed would be his future profession: architecture. Those youthful studies would serve to forever guide his work in fashion, with much of Balmains legendary savoir-faire relying on his unique power to add impressive structural elegance to couture creations. The Saint Jean II is set apart by its striking octagonal shape, which mirrors another certain topic of Balmains professors and textbookseight-sided Italian Renaissance masterpieces relying on sixteen perfect angles. The titanium front and acetate temples rely on the finest Japanese materials and are enriched with precise engraved lines and hand-painted enamel.