It turns out the viral Balmain dress that Tyla wore at last year’s Met Gala was only the tip of the sand castle.

On Wednesday night, Olivier Rousteing devoted his entire spring Balmain collection to the seaside, complete with a strapless dress resembling a post-swim towel wrapped around the torso, macramé ensembles with long fringe and seashells galore jangling off clothes, shoes and bags.

He also reprised his molded sand designs for cute bras and bustiers, emblematic of his dive into more streamlined, approachable fashions for the storied house, marking its 80th anniversary this year.

This was a slouchier, more casual Balmain, hinged on billowing sarouel and parachute pants, open-weave sweaters sliding off shoulders, meaty blousons in leather or rugged cottons and draped jersey tops.

In lieu of his densely embroidered dresses, he constructed bra-like tops and flirty tank dresses out of strands of shells and wooden beads piled with abandon, culminating with a stiff bustier that resembled amethyst growing from the body.

Rousteing returned to the ornate ballroom of the InterContinental Paris-Le Grand, where he paraded his first collection for Balmain 14 years ago, when he was only 26 years old.

Amid a furious game of musical chairs at European luxury houses, the French designer is now one of the longest-serving creative directors out there — and one out to prove that he can dial down the bombast and the fierceness.

“You know, I’m known for the Balmain Army that is always fighting,” he mused backstage. “This time, it’s more about self confidence. This is not armor, this is freedom.”

The seaside represents Rousteing’s happy place, and this collection was an attempt to convey that joie de vivre, joy being a word many designers are lobbing about this season.

The designer was smart to keep this show focused on womenswear as he recalibrates his approach toward softer, simpler options with controlled doses of razzmatazz.

Rousteing is proud of his resilience, and settling into a new phase beyond social media buzz and a broader horizon, just like at the beach.

In a recent interview, he told WWD: “When you work in fashion, you have those hype moments, and you have those moments where you’re not hype anymore. And I would say to my younger self, ‘Don’t look for being hype, but look for being timeless, because there is nothing better than staying forever.’”