The star power was strong each on and off the catwalk at Balenciaga’s second Haute Couture presentation yesterday. Celebrities including Alexa Demie and rapidly blossoming stylista North West attended as guests, while the likes of Kim Kardashian, Nicole Kidman and Naomi Campbell walked the runway. Nevertheless it was Jocelyn Wildenstein AKA ‘Catwoman’ who really stole the show, pulling up head-to-toe in leopard-print with a skintight bodysuit and robe. 

On closer inspection, nonetheless, it was clear all was not quite because it seemed. Beneath the leopard spots and lumpy filler, it wasn’t the Bride of Wildenstein who had shown as much as benefit from the couture but Alexis Stone AKA Elliot Joseph Rentz, drag queen, make-up artist and web personality.  

Known for her chameleonic beauty looks, Stone has pulled off some truly impressive metamorphosises through the years. A talented artist, she has used her make-up skills to shapeshift into everyone from Billie Eilish to baby Stormi to herself pre-surgery. Nevertheless it’s her work with prosthetics that is actually show-stopping. Back in 2019, Stone made headlines when she revealed the acute surgery that followers thought she had undergone months prior was actually an elaborate ruse in a dramatic video during which she pulled off half her face.

The stunt caught the eye of many, including Demna who should have seen in Stone’s work an ideal embodiment of his love for exaggerations. The 2 have been collaborating throughout this yr. Back in March, Stone attended the Balenciaga AW22 show under the guise of a particularly realistic Mrs Doubtfire. This was followed by a transformation into Dolly Parton in May for the SS23 show in Recent York.

It’s actually surprising that it’s taken this long for Stone to do a full-on Jocelyn Wildenstein tribute, considering how influential her aesthetic has been on her work. But when the time finally got here, she definitely didn’t disappoint. The facial transformation was uncanny while the outfit was customized by Demna himself. It was also Demna who pushed Stone to tackle Wildenstein as his next transformation.

“Demna and I discussed potential characters following Dolly in Recent York and he said he loved the homage to Jocelyn I had done through the years,” Stone says. “So with the blessing of Jocelyn herself we revamped it and brought it into 2022 referencing an archive look Jocelyn rocked previously.”

The collaboration was 4 weeks within the making, involving all of the prep work of fittings and a number of forwards and backwards flights. “The look was very specific to this character so Demna designed this practice piece for me to wear in leopard print which was exactly how I had envisioned it,” she says, calling debuting the take a look at the Couture show each “one other bonkers moment” and “one other normal day at work for me.” 

“Attending to do all of it is a dream come true, to showcase my artistry and produce more attention to Demna’s incredibly work is an ideal pairing. I’m excited and proud to have been capable of also bring more attention to the living icon that’s my mother, Jocelyn Wildenstein.”