Rumors that Balmain designer Christophe Decarnin is in a mental hospital surfaced yesterday after he failed to appear at the label's fall 2011 show. There, the label's owner told reporters he was absent due to fatigue — an excuse that sounded like a lie, frankly. A Balmain spokesperson now admits there's more to the story, telling the Daily Beast that Decarnin "is not feeling well” and “by doctor’s orders needs rest, and that is the only reason he was not present at the show.” People in the audience were chattering about Decarnin having a mental breakdown thanks to drug use, which the spokesperson denied, of course:
“He has been exhausted because this season was particularly demanding and complicated. “
The spokesperson says that the rumors about a breakdown from drugs and the mental hospital are “completely untrue.” The spokesperson wouldn’t say the cause of his ailment, only that it was “not anything physical.”
The rep also said Decarnin was involved in the fall 2011 collection, despite reports that the label's new consultant Melanie Ward designed it in his absence. “But in the last weeks, he hasn’t been involved 100 percent — or as much as he would like,” said the spokesperson. The design team will continue to work on the clothes while Decarnin recovers. It's unclear when he'll be back at work full-time.
