Jennifer Lopez Poses as a Super-Glam and Sexy ‘Muse’ for Balmain Designer Olivier Rousteing

There’s no denying that Jennifer Lopez knows luxury. From her sexy sheer high-fashion red carpet style to her intricately detailed on-stage ensembles, the star’s wardrobe is continually operating at extremely high levels of glam. Which is why Paper magazine tapped the singer, along with her go-to French designer, Balmain’s creative director Olivier Rousteing, to front the mag’s luxury-themed September issue.

Nicolas Moore

In the spread, shot by fashion photographer Nicolas Moore and styled by her longtime fashion pros Rob and Mariel, J.Lo and Rousteing seductively pose together in the designer’s creations, while the two describe their own definitions of luxury.

“To me, it’s stuff that’s very custom or made for you or fitted — that’s how I like all my clothes to feel,” the singer told Paper. “And when I think of luxury, whether it’s a house or a car or any luxury item, it’s like something special about it that feels like you. Or a piece of jewelry — you know what I mean? It has to have a classic feel to it. I like things that are super trendy. I like things that look like they could’ve been in this era or that era, but it still feels modern.”

Nicolas Moore

And of course, Rousteing’s body-conscious, super-sexy designs totally qualify for her definition of “luxurious.” “Wearing them just now, it feels very much like me. I know probably every girl thinks this, and that’s the genius of a designer: everybody who puts it on feels like, ‘Oh my God, this is made for me!’,” she said. “It’s the velvet, it’s the sparkle; it’s so ready for the spotlight. I think every girl who wears any special thing, they want to feel like they’re a star. And that’s how you feel when you wear one of Olivier’s dresses. Like, ‘[Okay], where are we going? There must be something special going on!’”

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With a mix of muses like Lopez, a slew of supermodels and most recently, the Kardashians, Rousteing says the French label is meant to be worn by any badass, strong-willed woman.

“For me, Balmain is almost feminist. It’s about the power of girls and women in the world,” he said. “And that’s why I love Jennifer. All the muses that have inspired me are really strong and they sometimes fight against the world to show their own rules, which I think Jennifer did throughout her career and she’s still doing it.”

He adds that Lopez was the original “Balmain girl” and continues to inspire other women to express themselves through fashion. “You see many stars today try to look like her. She imposes her own rules. And when I think, ‘What is the Balmain girl?’ — it’s this. It’s a woman who knows what she wants and is going to express it.”

Nicolas Moore

Which is why the designer was first drawn to the Kardashian-Jenner clan and began working with the famous sisters when other fashion houses were keeping their distance.

“It’s what I said — you go and fight against the rules. Like, there’s no taboo. You are who you are and you’re going to show it to the world,” he told the mag. “And it’s what I’m doing on my own. I’m building my own business, my own story. When I got the [Balmain] job I was 25 and I was not known. I was not this big fashion name. I come from an orphanage. My parents are white, I’m black. Nothing in my life responds to a normal rule. So I love people who are assuming their own lives and showing people that dreams can come true.”

But outside of the walls of the French fashion house, Rousteing says the meaning of true luxury doesn’t come with a high-fashion price tag.

“My luxury today is feeling free. It’s freedom. I think it’s the most priceless thing,” the designer said. “And I’ll tell you the truth: If you ask me, “What about is luxury?” it’s not the amount of dresses that I did that cost more than $20,000. For me, luxury is feeling free to express who I am and what I want to do. That’s luxury for me.”

Adds Lopez: “Everyone has their own definition of luxury. For me, sometimes it means the quiet moments away from the business of my life, when I get to spend time with my children and my family. And I agree with Olivier: freedom of choice is a true luxury. We are lucky to have it.”

What do you think of J.Lo’s latest magazine cover? What does “luxury” mean to you? Sound off below!

–Sarah Kinonen
Follow @sarahkinonen

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