Is Balzac the new Sézane? Not yet, but it’s worth investigating this competing French brand with a similar, Paris chic vibe — and similar, or higher, prices. Here’s why.
I love Sézane, and it’s still my first port of call when I need a perfect little bag, a sweater I’ll wear for years, or a top I reach for over and over. But as the brand becomes more and more popular — and expands far beyond the périphérique — it risks overexposure. (Two Gaspards on the Zoom call is too many.) The influx of outside investment has led to concerns about cost-cutting and material quality.
I am not jumping ship, but I have found myself investigating my options, so enter Balzac. The Paris-based brand certainly shares some DNA with Sézane — looking at the products above, I’m not sure that I’d be able to say which brand they were (though the rhinestones(!) on the shorts would have given it away eventually).
Their prices are just as high, if not higher, likely a result of their commitment to organic cotton and other expensive materials. The fabrics are genuinely good — and sometimes feel better than Sézane’s. But are the pieces special enough to justify the investment?
Not reliably, I would say. I would happily take home 80% of what I see in a Sézane shop, and that number is dramatically lower at Balzac: A lot of pieces just feel random — consider this leopard vest with the oddest patch on the chest. The ROI doesn’t always feel like it’s there, either: $175 for jean shorts? Babe, please.
That said, some of it is really beautiful, and I bet the cohesion gets better over time. Let’s go shopping!
Affiliate links below. Note: All shipping to the U.S. is free!
This ankle-length dress arrives in a killer coat and an “American collar” — personally I did not know this was a thing. In a perfect world you’re going to a summer’s worth of parties with friends who don’t know each other, and you can wear this perfect party dress to each one of them. Favorite aspect: the bow at the closure on the back of the neck, tragically impossible to see in this photo.
That’s a really cute sweater, with the slightly oversized neckline and the exaggerated stripes — French blue-and-white stripes but cooler, and perfect for springtime. Note there’s a barely visible but quite substantial ribbed hem — it’s tucked here, but it might provide undesired bulk.
This top is the corporate version of the dress above. Same killer color, same gorgeous fabric. And we all have meetings, right? And sometimes we must wear nice tops to them?
Disclosure: Unlike the other items on this page, I haven’t seen the Mae bag IRL, so know that. But I can admire it from afar: It’s larger than the Sézane bags that I love so much, and after running around town with a Milo for a year, sometimes I’d love to actually, you know, get a book in there. The metal accent is extremely good looking, and while the Bordeaux color wouldn’t have been my first choice, it wisely rides that line between whimsy and timelessness. That’s an extremely sexy bag! And one I haven’t seen s thousand times before already.
Maybe you were looking for a dupe for the Bobby, Sézane’s cropped trench, but wanted to spend an extra $160? Balzac has a great short trench, called the Ace. Maybe the extra cash is going to the leopard-print piping (derogatory).
Yeah, I really do love this material, whether in dress, sleeveless, or sleeved blouse form. Couple things that make this nice here: the refined round neck, and the little flutter on the sleeves to give it some movement and drama.
So cute, even if I have concerns about the wearability of the cuffs on the sleeves.
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