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When could we have guessed that the Simpsons would descend from their homes to bless us with some Balenciaga fashion inspo? The Simpsons family, including the icons Homer and Marge Simpson, donned some high-fashion and Haute couture outfits from the famous fashion house and walked the ramp along with Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. But apart from the TV show characters, the fashion walk was joined by Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Justin Beiber, and Anna Wintour, who applauded the Simpson models from the front seats with their own Simpson-esque features, indeed. 

The elite of the fashion world and Hollywood arrived at the Théâtre du Châtelet with high hopes of viewing supermodels strutting in fashion wear but instead were greeted by the Simpsons. The special Paris Fashion week episode lasted 10 minutes long and featured the people from Springfield who made their way to Paris for once in a lifetime Balenciaga ramp walk. Wearing elaborate creations of the fashion brand, the Simpsons wooed the public with their high-fashion swagger. 

The episode mocked the fashion house's bizarre outfit creations. A snippet from the episode shows Marge getting stuck in a doorway as the show was trying on her new gown. Apparently, the oversized shoulder pads of the gowns couldn't pass through the door. Apart from mocking their eccentric fashion sense, the episode also showed a much relatable scene where Homer faints after checking the price tag of a dress which would have left him short of $19,000. But the character did find his fashion sense after some time and slew in a single dangling earring hanging from his ear. He also got to eat bougie stuff like snails in garlic butter and wore a Puffa-style jacket. 

The Simpsons are the most famous cartoon series of America and add a humorous touch to living the American Dream. The family lives in Springfield and consists of Homer Simpson, a working-class American (justifying his reaction of fainting when confronted with a dress that can pay a year's rent) and his dysfunctional family. The show is widely famous for its predictions and is usually in the midst of conspiracy theories. Being the favorite watch of many Americans after a long day at work, the Simpsons was a great choice to add some variety to a Balenciaga show in Paris that was to be attended by the whole of Hollywood.

The Creative director Demna Gvasalia himself wanted something fresh post the pandemic and the complete shutdown of the fashion world for over a year. Now that the world has finally returned to a sense of normalcy, he knew the people of the elite class could use some humor after the usual hustle-bustle of Paris Fashion week. And, hence he realized that an episode of the Simpsons would be much more well -eceived and acclaimed than the traditional ramp walks shows that are so abundantly available in the city. Everything concerned, the show was ultimately one of the best events held in the fashion week in Paris this season. 

Another point of driving in a virtual ramp walk was to step beyond the usual status quo of the high society and bring forward a portrayal that would focus more on inclusivity than the carefully considered estrangement of the upper class. Now that the world is finally dragging itself to a momentum of work that could match the pace at which things happened prior to the pandemic, it was a perfect opportunity to introduce more broad-minded thoughts where fashion is concerned and walk in step with what the generations want today. 

The fashion world houses, besides Balenciaga, have taken an interest in enlarging their fashion shows beyond their show event venues and treat all that hold their brand at a high esteem level with a glimpse of what they can offer. Hence, Valentino, a fashion brand known for its luxury Italian fashion, chose to extend their ramp walk all the way out of the venue to the streets of the Marais. As the models strode out of the indoor venue into open grounds and the city's cobbled streets, the house aspired to treat Valentino fans and fashion students, standing out hoping for a glimpse of important guests of the show, to have a front-row view of their season's collection.

Credits: Holr Magazine

Chloe, another brand, chose a similar approach by selecting the banks of the Seine river as their venue for the fashion walk. Hence, fashion aspirants and other people could enjoy the show from a high elevation standing at the bridge and have their own taste of high society fashion from an uninterrupted viewing platform. 

Balenciaga, for its part, too understood their perception from the eye of the common people and did not hesitate in poking fun at its own elaborate styles and prices that are beyond the capability of a normal person. They lightheartedly made fun of their talented design team and gave the public a fun peek into behind the scenes of the event. The team was presented smoking, coping with the stress of the show, and also featured some French cliches as portrayed by Emily in Paris.

Beyond doubt, it is funny to see Homer struggle to pronounce the fashion brand's name and can do no better than exclaiming, "Is that Balenciagaga?" It is particularly refreshing to see an otherwise uptight A-list brand that traditionally shows unsmiling fashion models trekking on ramp walks let go of the charade and choose something comical and yet as normal as the Simpsons. But moreover, it is nice to know that the creative director Demna Gvasalia, a die-hard fan of The Simpsons, could realize a childhood dream and actually follow up with a non-conventional presentation of his talent. The designer hails from the former Soviet Union. 

Credits: Vogue

But that is not all to the show. The fans outside of the venue were also treated by Cardi B, model Amber Valletta and photographer Juergen Teller ascend the venue in all their fashion regalia to the delight of everyone. Keeping up with the virtual fashion shows during the pandemic, Balenciaga decided to extend the theme a bit further and hoisted a 20-minute live stream of their latest fashion collection instead of models showing off the fits on a ramp. The red carpet collection featured Balenciaga classics like the all XXL Puffa-style jackets, sharp shoulder pads, and of course, the iconic Cardi B dress that was printed with columns from gossip magazines.