Balmain to Launch Lower-Priced Line

What's that you say? You can't afford French luxury-label Balmain's $1,600 slashed t-shirt? What about a $5,500 varsity jacket? No? Fine, you can always pick up a pair of their denim for a mere $1,300. Well, perhaps none of these options are feasible for the average shopper, but perhaps you'd still like to capture the essence of the label, with its distinctive look of punk, grunge and military influences (and lots of sexy sequins for the ladies). The brand is a hit with celebrities and musicians who have the major dough to drop on it, but us plebs want in on the fun too. Hot on the heels of Balmain's ousting of Christophe Decarnin and internal promotion of the new creative director Olivier Rousteing, the label confirmed that they are launching a lower-priced line with an emphasis on a younger customer, to launch in September under the name 'Pierre Balmain,' after the house's founder.

While this is exciting news, with exorbitant prices like those as a jumping off point, we're not even sure if we'd be able to afford the cheaper options. Still, we will be waiting with bated breath to see the debut of this new line come September.

Picture of a look from Fall 2011 courtesy of Balmain