Balenciaga bow-embellished suede sandals

Balenciaga bow-embellished suede sandals, £575

I tend to associate Balenciaga with a fairly edgy style aesthetic, so the sweet little bows on these sandals were a little bit of a surprise. Not that the sandals themselves are particularly “sweet”, mind you: the high stiletto heel and strappy upper is pretty typical of the brand – and absolutely beautiful, too, don’t you think?

Actually, now I come to think of it, I guess the main thing I’ve come to associate Balenciaga with these days is high-quality, classic style (which is why I included some of their pieces in my classic capsule wardrobe post last year.) This is a brand that makes a lot of the kind of items you find featured in lists of “the things all women should own”, but they normally put their own little twist on it: like this baby pink biker jacket, for instance:

Balenciaga crepe biker jacket, £1,115

This is crepe, rather than the leather we more commonly see on biker jackets, which will make it a good buy for spring/summer. I think it would look gorgeous with an all-black look. I love this dress, for instance:

Balenciaga black stretch mini dress, £695

This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about when I said I associate Balenciaga with those “essential” items: this is the quintessential little black dress, in a comfortable stretch fabric, and with the kind of shape that will allow you to wear it to just about anything. Although it’s described as a mini dress, it’s actually long enough even for those of us who are more used to (and more comfortable with) longer hems – oh, and it’ll look pretty sweet with the shoes, as well as with the jacket.

Of course, the one thing I don’t like about this brand is the price, which is, well, astronomical, really. These will remain strictly fantasy buys for me, but it’s nice to dream!