When the House of Balmain came to fruition in 1945, French women could not possibly foresee that the way they dressed would forever change.
But, the designer behind it, Pierre Balmain, had the vision to make it so, ushering in his “Jolie Madame” style of dressing with sculptural silhouettes that flattered the female form and highlighted the swish and swerve of a woman’s every movement. It is a style that remains in vogue today, but the Balmain label has evolved, going heavy on the theatrics of strong, architectural tailoring mixed with an abundance of dimensional luxurious materials, like lavish ropes, sparkling chains, chunky turquoise disks and shards of reflective lucite. It is all enough to make a nail artist’s inspo meter go through the roof! For guest artist Alexis Auer, Balmain is the perfect match; she revels in sculpting 3D gel designs that seem to pulse before your eyes, like these three Balmain-inspired beauties she created.
About the Artist
Newbie licensed nail tech Alexis Auer already is well established with a Chicago-based studio and online following of 19K-plus. She specializes in “controlled chaos” designs with mix-and-match, multidimensional sets.
