Wait, What? Christophe Decarnin Is In A Mental Hospital?

by Verena von Pfetten | 3:09 pm, March 3rd, 2011

Because one designer scandal clearly isn’t enough to sate the fashion industry’s appetite for drama, designer Christophe Decarnin‘s absence at Balmain’s A/W 2011 runway show today has caused no small amount of speculation, including (but not limited to) reports that he has actually been in a mental hospital since mid-January.

Hint magazine reports:

We’ve just heard that designer Christophe Decarnin was a no-show at the Balmain collection today because he’s been in a “mental hospital” since January, the result of a nervous breakdown.

Described as a “total nightmare,” Decarnin is said to have disappeared one day in mid-January. Soon after, according to our source, it was announced to employees that he would not be returning.

Hint’s source also says that Decarnin wasn’t even involved in the Fall collection, which was instead spear-headed by the label’s in-house design team and stylist Melanie Ward (who replaced Emmanuelle Alt after she stepped down to focus on her new role as editor in chief of Vogue Paris.)

Balmain’s owner, however, is singing a different tune, telling The Telegraph’s Hilary Alexander that Decarnin is just a little sleepy.

“He’s tired, after working on the collection,” said Balmain’s owner, M. Alain Hivelin, amidst the excited throng of models, paparazzi and fans; which was a relief to me, as I at first had thought he had said ‘retired’. “No, he’s NOT retired. He’s just tired. He didn’t go to bed until 5am. He’s not here, he’s resting,” M. Hivelin stressed.

While the idea that Decarnin has spent the last two month’s secretly hospitalized is obviously a lot to swallow, the idea that he skipped his fashion show to catch up on a few hours of sleep is even more absurd. Either way, we hope the mystery gets cleared up soon — we don’t know how much more designer turmoil we can take. Keeping up with the industry’s rumor mill is exhausting.

Balmain’s Christophe Decarnin Apparently in a Mental Hospital [Hint]
Balmain autumn/winter 2011 at Paris Fashion Week [Telegraph]