It was not a customised gimmick for just one famous person after all

Remember this Balenciaga bag? Or the tape that goes around it? Well, back then, as the story went, the bag was part of a customised look that was conceived for Kim Kardashian when she attended the Balenciaga autumn/winter 2022 show in Paris earlier this year. Ms Kardashian was totally wrapped in the Balenciaga-branded “packing tape”, as it was later identified. Whether she needed something different to wear for the show and the house did not have fabric for her or if she liked to be bound like this is not quite clear, but the whole-body bandage was appealing enough that Lizzo duplicated it for the cover of last September’s US Elle. Initially, Balenciaga told the media that the tape would be available to purchase for anyone who wanted to follow the footsteps of the stars, but we have not seen them in the stores.

Now, for anyone enamoured with the taped look, but is not willing to undergo the mummification herself or without a petit main (a domestic helper is not sufficiently trained) to assist with the binding, there is that very bag Ms Kardashian carried. Limited pieces of the Balenciaga ’Hourglass’, with its distinctive curvilinear base, now comes similarly wrapped with the said yellow tape (even the detachable shoulder strap that goes with it is bound). Underneath is still a luxury calfskin bag, but it is not known in what colour. Would it be black, just like the SKIM bodysuit that Ms Kardashian wore under was? It’d be good to know because you might one day want to peel off the tape when you become jelak of it. But perhaps you won’t. According to Balenciaga, “due to the handmade process, all the pieces are unique”. Couture finish!

Balenciaga ‘Hourglass’ small handbag in box with tape in yellow, SGD4,100, is available at Balenciaga and online. Photo Balenciaga