Nicolas Ghesquière

Kristen Stewart posed with Balenciaga creative director Nicolas Ghesquière for the Vogue 120 list celebrating the magazine's 120th anniversary. The issue has Lady Gaga on the cover and features some of the biggest names and faces in the fashion world right now. As the face of Balenciaga's fragrance, Kristen has been rocking the line at events and representing the brand in print ads since the Spring. Along with this stunning Vogue shot, Kristen is also in September's Marie Claire, but both of these photo shoots took place before her recent headlines. Kristen is taking a break from the spotlight at the moment, though it was recently announced that her movie On the Road will be at the Toronto Film Festival next month. She's skipping the UK premiere today and may not be taking part in the Snow White and the Huntsman sequel, but she still has a busy Fall of promotions ahead of her so she'll be back on the red carpet soon.

Check out lots more from Vogue's September issue list on Vogue.com.

>> The '80s disco space odyssey Nicolas Ghesquière embarked on for Pre-Fall reached full orbit today at the Fall 2012 Balenciaga show in Paris. This season, however, the electric hues, metallic leather, angular prints, shoulder-heavy silhouettes, and eclectic combinations were imbibed with a little corporate office fantasy. "We imagined this Balenciaga Inc. company and then we started to identify the functions the staff have and the clothes they would wear — the space-age sweatshirt girls were the spies infiltrating the company," the designer explained.

>> For Pre-Fall 2012, Nicolas Ghesquière riffed on early '80s Postmodernism — and all the bold colors, big silhouettes, and loud prints associated with the genre. There were jumbo zebra patterns, oversized pullovers, shoulder-padded coats, and pleated peplums — all in eye-popping hues and styled to the hilt with humongo earrings, super-dark shades, and New Wave hair. If all of this sounds over-the-top retro, never fear. Ghesquière has a knack for making even the scariest reprise seem fresh. To that end, he worked high-tech fabrics, sharp tailoring, and muted colors into all the far-out fun.

Most shows wouldn't be able to top collapsing benches, which in turn led to collapsing editors, but such a small snafu couldn't deter the magnificence seen on Balenciaga's Spring runway showing. Staying true to the brand's signature style, Nicolas Ghesquière showed dramatic structure, volume, and space-age fabrics. “I don’t know if oversize is the right term for that type of construction,” Ghesquière told WWD. “But this famous, and for me, a very functional, concept of Cristobal is the idea of the space between the body and the fabric. The clothes float away from the body. It’s one of the big iconic things of Balenciaga. The fluidity of floating is beautiful, but it is something else. . . I think it’s something that Balenciaga invented." Shiny jewel-toned structured jackets, short shorts, graphic tops, fringe-like cellophane skirts, and pleated and folded trousers all rendered the cool, ultra-modern aesthetic the designer is known for. The dresses, ranging from oversize tunics to midi-length patchwork creations, were impossibly chic and innovative. Ghesquière, who is also famous for his covetable accessories, showed sharp and angular cutout booties and gorgeous leather oversize clutch bags. More details from the collection below, and check out our retrospective on Balenciaga.

• Trends: Structure, high shine, short shorts, patchwork, pleats, folds.
• Colors: Purple, dark gold, black, lavender, yellow, peach, red, sage.
• Key Look: All of the round-shouldered structured jackets.
• Accessories: Oversize visor hats, statement cuff bracelets, large leather clutches, sharp and angular cutout booties.
• Who Would Wear It: Women who crave ultra-modern statement pieces.

Balenciaga, born in 1918 when Cristóbal Balenciaga opened his namesake boutique in San Sebastian, Spain, became one of the greatest fashion houses of the early 20th century. It invented popular silhouettes, which today are known as the baby doll, the bubble skirt, and the bracelet sleeve — along with its signature sculptural design aesthetic. Fast-forward to 1997, when a young Nicolas Ghesquière took over design for the house. Ghesquière's fashion-forward aesthetic has consistently wowed us with his use of asymmetry, high-tech textiles, trademark structured silhouettes, and space-age-printing techniques. The designer has helmed the brand for over 10 years and shows no signs of slowing down, making Balenciaga a covetable luxury brand for every fashion-loving woman. Click through to see our awesome runway retrospective.