Who is Cristobal Balenciaga..?
Balenciaga really inspires me. I have so much appreciation for this man because he followed his passion and was not afraid to be who he was, a true master.
Balenciaga created dresses of incredible fluidity and grace. He was a self-taught designer who learnt his craft by unpicking dresses he bought from other French designers such as Elsa Schiaperelli, Gabrielle Chanel and Madeleine Vionnet. At just 23 he opened his first boutique in San Sebastian, and soon attracted patronage from Spanish high society.
He staged his first show at his atelier in Paris in 1937, with a collection heavily influenced by his Spanish roots, such as beautifully embroidered bolero jackets and his"Infanta"gown (see image on the left)inspired by the costumes of young Spanish princesses.
In the postwar years, his fashions became even more streamlined, liberating women from the constraints of the tight-fitting hourglass New Look created by French designer Christian Dior. In contrast Balenciaga's designs flowed around the body. Through the 1950s, waistlines were dropped and then raised and then dispensed with all together in his sack dress, which despite its name was flattering to all shapes and was widely copied.
Polka dots, inherited from his Spanish roots, and abstract flower designs were a recurrent theme, as were stripes and checks. Balenciago died in 1972 aged 77.
I hope you will check out my next post, because it will be about the openening of "The Cristobal Balenciaga Museoa"..
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