Creative or just plain lazy?

Balenciaga, purveyor of expensive IKEA bag knock-offs and car mats masquerading as skirts, has yet again created something the internet can't stop talking about.

The Spanish fashion house has released something called a "T-Shirt Shirt" as part of its Fall 2018 collection, and as the name gives away, it's a t-shirt with a shirt on it.

Costing a staggering $1290, the t-shirt shirt is exactly what the title suggests; a t-shirt with a long-sleeved buttoned shirt pinned to the front.

In some people’s eyes, fashion is an art that can take many unique and interesting forms.

However, many believe that luxury brand Balenciaga may have taken things a step too far with one of their latest designs.

The fashion house’s “t-shirt shirt”, from its autumn 2018 collection, has bemused the internet, both for its aesthetic and its hefty price.

According to the Balenciaga website where the top is available to buy, the wearer has the option to wear the t-shirt with the shirt hanging from the front or to wear the shirt with the t-shirt hanging from the back.

guess they're like those convertible pants that turn into shorts, except the "t-shirt shirt" happens to be more bizarre.
Here's how the shirt looks like from the side

Balenciaga creative director Demna Gvasalia won't really care what you think though, especially if you absolutely hate the "T-Shirt Shirt." In 2017, he told Vogue that he actually liked when people thought his designs ugly.

“I think it’s very interesting, the definition of ugly, I think it’s also very interesting to find this line where ugly becomes beautiful or where beautiful becomes ugly. That’s a challenge I like. I think that’s a part of what fashion stands for and I like that people think my clothes are ugly; I think it’s a compliment."

The question of whether the world needs this latest piece from Gvasalia, who joined Balenciaga in 2015 and is also at the helm of Vetements, famous for the expensive DHL T-shirts, may come down to one's definition of clothing.

If it's merely to keep warm, then perhaps the shirtfront could be considered excessive. But if fashion is adornment, then fans of the brand would argue: move on, nothing to see here.

Irrespective, Balenciaga's owner, Kering, is laughing all the way to the bank. In the fourth quarter of 2017, sales at the brand, which Kering acquired in 2001, jumped about 60 per cent, and are hurtling towards the 1 billion euro ($1.54 billion) mark. Gucci remains the top performing brand in the Kering stable.