COUTURE
Lorde Reviews Demna’s Final Balenciaga Show
WEDNESDAY 1:00 PM JULY 9, 2025 PARIS
Today’s couture show marked the end of Demna’s game-changing ten-year tenure as creative director of Balenciaga. Everyone from Cardi B to Nicole Kidman flocked to the fashion house’s atelier on Avenue George V to watch models (including Kim K and Naomi Campbell) don corsetry, sequins, and the house’s trademark oversized tailoring. After the presentation, our editor-in-chief Mel Ottenberg debriefed with Lorde about hot models, fashion FOMO, and the end of a major fashion era.
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MEL OTTENBERG: What’s up?
LORDE: What’s up? That was crazy.
OTTENBERG: What are you wearing?
LORDE: I’m wearing a Balenciaga crystal tank dress and jeans.
OTTENBERG: Of all the Balenciaga looks in the show today, who are you?
LORDE: I’m the security guard.
OTTENBERG: Yeah. That’s hot.
LORDE: He’s hot.
OTTENBERG: He’s fucking hot. I wanna be him, too.
LORDE: Yeah, busting out of the jacket.
OTTENBERG: Wait, wait, wait. Are you a Demna fan?
LORDE: Oh my god, lifelong. But I’ve never been to a show, and I just felt like this was the one to come to.
OTTENBERG: Absolutely. Sometimes I would have FOMO seeing it on the internet, you know?
LORDE: Yeah.
OTTENBERG: Which of these looks would you wear on stage?
LORDE: I would wear the shoes and a bunch of tape on my tits. Mainly just that.
OTTENBERG: Okay, hot.
LORDE: What are we doing tonight? Are we partying?
OTTENBERG: Yeah, yeah. I’m gonna drink a Red Bull–
LORDE: Ok fair, same. [Laughs]
OTTENBERG: I’ll hang out in the smoking section with you. Do you smoke cigarettes?
LORDE: I do and I will.
OTTENBERG: Okay, amazing, I figured you did. When can I get a record? Are they on sale now?
LORDE: I can give you one.
OTTENBERG: No, I wanna buy it!
LORDE: They’re out there. There’s a problem with the CD, have you heard about this?
OTTENBERG: No.
LORDE: Oh there’s a whole drama. It’s a disaster. [Laughs] The CD cannot play if you have a player from like, 1995.
OTTENBERG: Okay, I don’t have that. I have a tape deck, a record player, and that’s it.
LORDE: So it won’t touch you.
OTTENBERG: But no, I want the record. I want the craft, I want the–
LORDE: The pussy.
OTTENBERG: I want your pussy. [Laughs]
LORDE: [Laughs]
OTTENBERG: Fab. Let’s take some pictures. Wait, who am I? Kai Schreiber was telling me she was obviously the pink corseted girl. You were the security guard. I wanna be the blonde surfer prom boy, but I’m not.
LORDE: But you’re not.
OTTENBERG: And I never will be.
LORDE: Would you maybe be one of the garment bag holders? I could see you with one of those.
OTTENBERG: You know, I really want khaki pants right now, so I’m gonna go with the couture khaki pants. That’s it.
LORDE: Alright, there we go. [Laughs]
OTTENBERG: And you’re the security guard. Alright, let’s take a picture.