Pierre Balmain

For Spring 2013, Balmain's secondary line, Pierre Balmain, stayed far away from the rock-and-roll antics of its sister label and instead focused on an optimistic distillation of shapes from the 1950s. The collection, which was shown in Beijing in May and presented Monday morning as a digital fashion show, featured men's and women's looks. The ladies saw skirt-and-jacket combinations that echoed the New Look in a modern way: A-line skirts and dresses were paired with close-tailored denim or leather jackets and, at one point, a tiger-print twin set. Sleeveless peplum tops pointed at the same shapes, but fuller-cut blouses and jackets were sprinkled throughout the show, paired with slim-cut trousers and jeans to emphasize volume. The men's looks — all suits and separates save for a leather jacket and a full denim ensemble — were well-tailored basics made interesting with pops of bright pink and oversize dot and plaid prints.

Photo courtesy of Pierre Balmain

Check out the all the pictures from Pierre Balmain's Spring 2013 collection, and come back soon for our full review.

Source: Courtesy of Pierre Balmain

If Balmain is the luxe rocker chick, Pierre Balmain is said rocker chick's poetic, romantic sister. It's also the secondary line with slightly lower price points that range from $250 for jeans to $1,200 for leather jackets. To celebrate the collection, Balmain created a rather beautiful short film, showing the seriously gorgeous model Melissa Stasiuk — she who gives us perfect-hair envy — and male model Adrien Sahores. Done in black and white and set to a moody soundtrack by Bruno Alexiu (it was created for a 1964 movie that was never finished — extramoody tidbit). The collection itself is a mix of hard and soft — signature pieces like skinny trousers, complete with studding, are mixed with soft, transparent tops. One of the best pieces is a simple, but beautiful draped black dress with a low V-neck. Take two minutes to watch the video, then click to see the entire collection.

>> The new Pierre Balmain diffusion line launched Sunday in Paris, bringing with it lots of easy-wearing rock-tinged classics — moto jackets, skinny jeans — for Spring 2012. Priced from $172 (for tops) to $1,300 (for eveningwear), the collection is much more accessibly-priced than the main line — a Balmain T-shirt costs around $1,500 — and includes clothing for both men and women. Also accompanying the launch of the collection is a third — and final — Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin-directed video, which features a grunged-up Abbey Lee Kershaw on the run around Manhattan with her band, Our Mountain. See the video below, then click through for a peek at the entire Pierre Balmain collection, hitting stores in December.

Paris fashion house Balmain just released images of its new, more affordable Pierre Balmain line, set to launch for Spring 2012. The new collection, described as more casual and downtown, is easier on the pocketbook compared to its main line, with prices ranging from around $172 to $1,291 for dresses, knitwear, leather, tees, and denim. Still not cheap by any means, but much less than the crazy $1,400 price tag on a t-shirt from the original Balmain line. The collection will be available online by the end of the year. Check out the slideshow to see more looks from the collection; will you be adding a piece to your wish list?

>> Balmain's new, more affordable line, Pierre Balmain, doesn't start hitting stores until early December, but a first look at the debut collection, for Spring 2012 — is in order.

The new line covers everything from eveningwear to daywear, tailoring to jeans, and will be created by a separate design team from Olivier Rousteing, who is set to concentrate exclusively on the higher-end Balmain label. As Balmain chairman and CEO Alain Hivelin explains the dichotomy, Rousteing will make the “quintessentially Parisian” main collection “even more sophisticated and couture-like — without, of course, renouncing that ‘rock’ aesthetic that has been so important for us these the last few years." Whereas: "The Pierre Balmain collection translates the codes of Balmain in a more casual and relaxed manner ... We see Pierre Balmain as a new and distinct brand that is inspired by the successes and history of a great house, but offers a look and product that respond to the needs and desires of today’s marketplace.”

Prices for Pierre Balmain — in light of the Balmain mainline's infamously sky-high prices — are to range from 120 euros ($172) for T-shirts and 250 euros ($363) for jeans up to 900 euros ($1,291) for eveningwear.