Versace and Balmain Make a Case for Perfume Bottle Heels and Bags: What’s Behind the Quirky Spring ’25 Runway Trend?
Katie Abel
Executive Editor
There’s a quirky new trend emerging on the spring ’25 runways — perfume bottle heels and bags.
In recent days, Versace and Balmain have both made a convincing case for whimsical accessories.
Luxury designers on and off the runway seem to be more willing to experiment with their shoes and bags this season, and it’s no surprise. When the going gets tough, the industry has traditionally turned to accessories to help them get out of the doldrums. They’re often seen as investment pieces and more accessible than expensive ready-to-wear looks that might lose their luster after a season or two. For spring ’25, many fashion houses are reverting back to classics and greatest hits in their ready-to-wear offer, giving shoes and bags more room to shine.
At the same time, every luxury fashion house is banking on the beauty category like never before.
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So perhaps it made perfect sense then that Versace and Balmain decided to combine the best of both worlds for some showstopping runway pieces.
Donatella Versace transformed her best-selling fragrance, Bright Crystal, into shoes and clutches.
Balmain, for its part, just opened its first standalone beauty boutique in Paris with partner Estée Lauder. So longtime creative director Olivier Rousteing thought it was fitting to bring the storytelling to the runway too, from head to toe.
Rousteing said many of the accessories channeled the angular lines and graphic components of the historic Balmain perfume bottle, which was first introduced by the house’s founder in 1946 for his Vent Vert fragrance — and which was adapted for the new line of Balmain Beauty scents, Les Éternels.
