Cristóbal Balenciaga was born on January 21, 1895 in Guetaria, Spain, a small fishing village on the coast. His father was a sailor, and his mother was a dressmaker. When he was just 13 years old he impressed the Marquesa de Casa Torres with his knowledge of style. She allowed him to make a copy of the haute couture she was wearing. At age 19, Balenciaga began working for a gown-maker by the name of Calle di Hernani.
After spending time in Paris, he returned to Spain where he wanted to bring Parisian style to Spanish women. In 1919 he opened his very first salon in San Sebastian, Spain. In 1920 he opened two more salons in Madrid, and his first salon in Barcelona was opened in 1935. In 1937 he moved to Paris to escape the Spanish Civil War, and in the same year he opened his showrooms at 10 avenue George V in Paris. His collects were received with great honor and his name was soon known all around the world.
Balenciaga was famous for hating the fashion press, so in 1957 he denied them entry to his collections. With the growing popularity of prêt-à-porter, Balenciaga decided to retire in 1968 because he thought the integrity of fashion was slowly dying. His last public appearance was at the funeral of Coco Chanel, and in 1972 the master, Cristóbal Balenciaga passed away in Valencia, Spain.
Most famous for attention to shape, master tailoring and the ever-famous sleeve, Balenciaga designed about 300 pieces each year with the help of hundreds of tailors, seamstresses, fitters, pattern cutters, milliners and embellishment specialists. If the sleeve of a garment was not perfect in the eyes of Balenciaga, it was not uncommon for him to spend 24 hours redoing a single sleeve. He never let anyone leave one of his salons until their sleeve was perfect.
Balenciaga had what Vogue called “the flame of prophecy” because he was always a step ahead of all the other designers. In the 1930s his jersey draped dresses looked ahead to a 1940s silhouette. In 1953 he created the balloon jacket, which is still popular today. In 1957 he was the first designer to create an evening dress that ended at the knee. He was always the designer who introduced the modern “Babydoll” dress.
He loved to work with fine fabrics, like silk and satin. His color palette included deep black of Spain, brown (from chocolate to nutmeg), aquamarine, ice or hot pink, goldenrod, peacock blue, melon, orange and teal green. Along with creating the perfect sleeve, Balenciaga aimed to create garments that were both simple and feminine. He loved to adorn his garments with bows. Other famous works of Balenciaga include the Bracelet sleeve, which was a shortened sleeve that allowed women to better flaunt their jewelry, collars that stood away from the collarbone, giving a swan-like appearance and tired sleeves. He was also widely famous for his fragrances, the first of which was called Le Dix, created in 1947 and named after the address of his famous atelier 10 avenue George V.
He drew much of his inspiration from Spanish style like the flamenco skirt, and from paintings of old Spanish culture. Hailed “The Master” by Christian Dior, Balenciaga has worked with and inspired designers such as, Givenchy, Ungaro, Scherrer and Courrèges.
Today, the house of Balenciaga is lead by creative director Nicolas Ghesquière and owned by the Gucci Group. The house produces women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, shoes and accessories that are sold globally. Ghesquière seeks to create garments inspired by the original designs of Cristóbal Balenciaga.
“A fashion designer must be an architect for perspectives, a sculptor for shapes, a painter for color, a musician for harmony and a philosopher for sense of proportion.” -C.B.
.ang.
