Balenciaga Pink Velvet Cycling Shorts Mini Dress | Look 69, Spring 2020
A Clever Trompe l'Oeil Trick in Crushed Velvet
This is look 69 from Balenciaga's Spring/Summer 2020 runway show, a fitted, long-sleeve mini dress in vivid bubblegum-pink crushed velvet, built around one of the collection's cleverest construction details: a built-in cycling short at the rear. From the front, the dress reads as a clean, high-necked, body-conscious mini with a simple skirt panel, but the back conceals a fitted cycling short, creating a trompe l'oeil effect that plays with what's dress and what's underwear-as-outerwear, a favorite trick of Demna Gvasalia's throughout this era of the house.
The dress is cut with a high, round neckline, long fitted sleeves, and a concealed back zip, all rendered in the same soft, richly textured crushed velvet across the entire piece. On the runway, it was styled with sculptural drop earrings, a small structured top-handle bag, and pale lace-up ankle boots, the same core styling formula used across the group of velvet mini dresses shown that season, including the red version from look 71.
Balenciaga's Spring 2020 collection featured a series of these crushed velvet mini dresses across multiple colorways, each one built on the same body-conscious silhouette and cycling-short construction detail underneath. The trick let Gvasalia reference activewear and underwear-as-outerwear, themes he returned to throughout his Balenciaga tenure, while still delivering a clean, wearable evening silhouette from the front. The pink colorway seen in look 69 stood out as one of the collection's brighter, more playful takes on the style, contrasting with the moodier red and black versions shown elsewhere in the same lineup.
Styling Tips
Let the color and texture carry the look, the way it was styled on the runway, sleek hair and minimal jewelry keep the focus on the dress itself. The built-in cycling short means no additional layering is needed underneath, making this an easy, one-piece styling solution for an evening-ready look.
Photography ©Balenciaga
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