Obviously Isabelle Huppert Is Now A Balenciaga Campaign Star

“Ambiguity, for me, is the salt of life,” declared the inimitable Isabelle Huppert in British Vogue’s October 2018 issue. This aphorism is reflected in the actor’s sense of style: she takes an admirably fearless approach to her always unpredictable fashion choices. It makes sense, then, that she has been anointed as a face of Balenciaga, a brand with design codes that align with her own intrepid attitude.

Photographed alongside other “friends and family” of Demna Gvasalia’s Balenciaga - including Justin Bieber - against the backdrop of a parking lot, Huppert looks wonderfully chic in the new campaign, lensed by Katy Grannan. She joins a sparse roster of celebrity Balenciaga muses, partly due to the fact that Gvasalia has previously favoured digital clones, deepfakes and video games over A-listers.

Clad in a nonchalantly-styled belted trench from the brand’s ready-to-wear line, worn asymmetrically off-the-shoulder, the actor looks the epitome of the new-age Parisian. She clutches an embossed glossy black Hourglass bag, her other arm tucked into the coat’s sleeve. Bieber, meanwhile, appears with Gvasalia’s reimagined Neo bag, dressed in the new sporty Runner trainers, leather jacket and tracksuit bottoms.

Huppert’s Balenciaga cameo arrives just weeks after she stole the show in the brand at Cannes. She glided on the red carpet in an outfit that is best described, in internet speak, as a “mood”. Gvasalia was responsible for Huppert’s viral moment, supplying her with a jet black, slinky long-sleeved gown picked by her long-time stylist Jonathan Huguet. The exposed slit that hovered towards the waistline revealed Balenciaga’s cult stretch-satin knife boots, and her oversized bug-eye shades added insouciance. Overall, it was the antithesis of the frothy tulle and diamonds that make up conventional Cannes red-carpet looks.