OCTOBER 13, 2007 - JANUARY 5, 2008
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Born
in Spain, Cristobal Balenciaga (1895-1972) opened his couture
house in Paris in 1937. One of fashion’s greatest innovators, he
radically altered the fashionable silhouette with designs such
as the sack dress. He retired in 1968, and in 1997, Nicolas
Ghesquière was hired as creative director of Balenciaga.
Balenciaga’s work is characterized by a strong emphasis on three-dimensional form. Whereas even the man-on-the-street knew about Christian Dior and the New Look, Balenciaga appealed primarily to connoisseurs of fashion who understood his style of avant-garde classicism. This abstract evening gown, for example, is made in one of his favorite materials, silk gazar, which has the texture, stiffness, and weight that he desired. |
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| Cristobal Balenciaga, evening gown with shrug, 1961, France, worn by donor Mrs. George Connor, photograph by Irving Solero | ||||||