House of Balenciaga

    He is known to be the king of cutting, Cristobal Balenciaga who spent his whole life refining from design to another. He is still well known mostly for his front raised hemlines, dolman sleeves, large buttons and the collar that sits on a band and stands away from the throat. His most famous period was in the 60’s after he designed a wedding gown that was phenomenal.

     In 1895 Cristobal Balenciaga was born in a small village in Spain. His mother was a dressmaker, so he was raised in the fashion industry. When he was only twelve he started his first apprenticeship with a tailor in San Sebastian and Madrid. In 1918 he opens his first fashion house in San Sebastian and quickly gains good reputation from Paris. During the Spanish Civil War Balenciaga was forced to shut down his business, and in 1937, he opens his fashion house in Paris where he was a huge success. 

    Above are two magazine covers with Balenciagas’ fashion work from the line of 1941. It was a collection inspired from the Spanish Renaissance dresses that caused a huge sensation. That year, the Spanish reports reported that sales in the three Spain based outlets were as high as ever. The collection was mostly of suites- all very elegant and feminine. The suite on the left is sewn mostly with velvet, very long high- waisted skirt with a balloon hem line to give more volume to the garment. The jacket has a quarter sleeve, with detailed embellishments and embroidery, mostly around the neckline and sleeve. It is very formal. On the other side, the suite on the right is with a shorter skirt. At the time the woman started going to work also in the office, and this garment is very ideal for this kind of work. It is made out of jersey, and the jacket has big staple buttons. The big shoulders makes it very elegant. 

    In 1950 Balenciaga shows his first collarless pieces, including raincoats and blouses as well as balloon dresses. Above are two pictures from this collection. On the left is a coat, which is a very modernist design and is very different from the one from the 1941. Contrary to the designs from before it looks more comfortable and not stiff at all. It is an easy to put on garment unlike the dress on the left, from the same year. The dress has a style, going back to the late 1800 with stiff corsets and bulky skirts.

     In 1960, Balenciaga travels to Madrid to make Queen Fabiola of Belgium’s bridal gown. This is the period of his career where he was known as one of the best designers of the world, with designs that are most refined. Queen Fabiola looked stunning in Baleciagas’ dress. It was a very simple dress but very elegant and well tailored. It had no details at all, unlike wedding gowns from today where the more detail they have the better they look. Balenciaga was very a very religious person and most of his work, including this bridal gown was inspired from the nuns and priests clothing.

     Below are two wedding gowns from 2013, the left of Paolo Sebastian and the other of Vera Wang. They are both very different from the one of the 1960. The have a lot of small detailing, beads lace and a lot of layers. Balenciagas’ gown is made all from satin while the ones from 2013 have a mixture of satin, sheer and lace. They all look very elegant, formal and feminine. 

    In 1968 Cristobal Balenciaga creates his last collection and in 1972 he dies. The business was handed to his nephews and in 1992 designer Josephus Thimister replaces them. The brand is still very famous and launches its collections twice a year, every year.

Bibliography:

2011 http://onthisdayinfashion.com/?p=8752

HPRINTS 2013 http://hprints.com/Cristobal_Balenciaga_1941_Evening_Gown-35318.html

The On-Line MA & RI Wedding Guides 2013 http://www.pinterest.com/maweddingguide/trends-for-2013-bridal-gowns/

 All searched on the 13th of December 2013