Balenciaga. The glamorous 1950s by Art Consulting

THE GLAMOROUS 1950s Drawings from the iconic Maison

Collection curators Marina Pizziolo Romano Ravasio Edited by Marina Pizziolo Romano Ravasio Irene Delaude Domitilla Massouda Charlotte Senger Designed by Nicolò Quirico © Art Consulting - Only great collections

THE GLAMOROUS 1950s Drawings from the iconic Maison

BALENCIAGA The glamorous 1950s Drawings from the collection An astonishing collection of drawings dating back to the period 1950-58 has been gathered by the Italian fashion designer Lorenzo Riva, who was artistic director of Balenciaga in Paris in the eighties. This collection has never been exhibited. Each drawing is a project, it contains the seed of an idea destined to become the dream of an entire generation of women. These drawings are alive artworks, able to offer us the emotion of the creation of clothes that have made fashion history in the fifties. The collection is varied and each drawing is absolutely unique. There are quick and precious drawings by Balenciaga, such as those made in London when he was a guest of the Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, in order to create her exclusive clothes. And there are drawings on which the whole team of the Maison Balenciaga worked, in an overlapping of fabrics pinned together with names and numbers added on the fly: a fascinating artwork that offers a virtual journey from the drawing to the making of the dress. On the sheets of paper are the folds and marks made by the hands of Balenciaga and those who worked with him. There are drawings cut out and glued on another sheet, because that very sketch was considered precious and had to be saved.

1 Green energy, Evening dress, 1950c. Ink and watercolour on paper, 20,7 x 13,2 cm

2 Balenciaga, For Wallis, Cocktail dress, November 1951 Pencil on paper, 20,7 x 13,3 cm In the upper right corner, “London 11 51”

3 Balenciaga, Turquoise peacock, Cocktail dress, 1955 c. Pencil, fabric and pin on paper, 21 x 14,8 cm

4 Balenciaga, Summer passion, Cocktail dress, 1955 c. Pencil, pastel, fabric and pin on paper, 21 x 14 cm In the upper center, “negro” and “raso blanco”

5 Balenciaga, In the warmth of a flower, Coat, 1955 c. Pencil and charcoal on paper, 21 x 13 cm

6 Balenciaga, Scheherazade, Suit, 1955 c. Ink, watercolor and pencil on paper, 20,3 x 14,2 cm In the upper right corner, “Salvador”. Monsieur Salvador was Premier d’Atelier from 1948 to 1968 In the lower left corner, “n. Pieza 2668”

7 Balenciaga, Pink butterfly, Cocktail dress, 1955 c. Pencil, pastel, fabric and pin on paper, 20,6 x 14,5 cm In the upper left corner, “Suzanne” In the upper right corner, “Dany”

8 Balenciaga, Flower snowfall, Summer dress, 1950 c. Pencil, fabric and pin on paper, 20,7 x 13,2 cm

9 Balenciaga, Spanish night, Ensemble, 1952 c. Pencil on paper, 21 x 13,5 cm In the upper part, “lana negra” and “tafeta negro”

Green energy, this charming evening dress dating back to 1950 is a hymn to sensuality and feminine strength. It is a green whirlwind capable of enveloping the viewer in a sweet spell. This is one of the very rare watercolor drawings of the collection. This Balenciaga’s sophisticated model exalts the forms of a woman impossible to forget.

For Wallis is a romantic cocktail dress, designed for a woman who well knew how to be

loved. This enchanting drawing represents a true rarity. The inscription “London 11 51” testifies that Balenciaga executed this drawing when in London he was a guest of Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor: the woman for whom the king Edward VIII abdicated. There was a deep friendship between Wallis and Balenciaga, and the couturier often spent long periods in London, designing her exclusive wardrobe.

Turquoise peacock is a perfect example of Balenciaga’s idea of a dress created like

a sculpture. After years of formal exploration, the 1950s is a period of innovation for Balenciaga. He had started a revolution aimed to separate the body from the dress giving more importance to a new element: air. The precious turquoise fabric added to this drawing allow us to enjoy the feeling of the real dress.

Summer passion is a charming cocktail dress in the color of love, with the surprise of a neckline on the back. The design offers two views of the dress, front and back. Balenciaga’s annotations in Spanish, as well as the two fabric swatches offer our eyes a vision of a dress in a precious red fabric, with white satin sleeves and a black cap.

In the warmth of a flower is a coat that could be worn today without having a vintage feel to it. That is what happens with real fashion: it is timeless. Exactly as Balenciaga himself. He was right when he remarked that: “Prestige is more important than fame. Prestige remains, fame is ephemeral”.

Scheherazade is an example of Balenciaga’s great artistic skill. It is not only a glam-

orous suit, but a beautiful sketch. The addition of those few touches of blue is masterful. In the 1950s it was said that a Parisian society lady needed was one evening dress by Balenciaga and one black suit by him as well, and she would be appropriate for any occasion.

Pink butterfly shows fluid lines, that caressed rather than constrained the body, thus guaranteeing comfort and freedom of movement. With elements taken from day and evening wear, the cocktail dress in Balenciaga was characterised for being short, sophisticated and discretely luxurious.

Flower snowfall is completed by a precious fabric pinned to the paper by the couturier. The large hats, as that one designed by Balenciaga in this drawing, were an emblem of the Maison. They create an ideal space that frames the woman, giving her a unique allure. The drawing is completed by a precious fabric pinned to the paper by the couturier.

Spanish night, this iconic ensemble, is well rooted in the Spanish culture. In the upper part, Balenciaga added two notes in Spanish about the fabric to be used: “lana negra” and “tafeta negro”. Balenciaga would draw grandiose models in both shape and artistic expression. His drawings were the first step for the creation of his audacious, most iconic and famous models, which would make Balenciaga the supreme haute couture Maison.

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Innovation & the 1950s The 1950s is a period of innovation for the couturier after years of formal exploration. Cristóbal Balenciaga was described at the time as “The couturier who sets the pace for the fashion future”. The master was gradually leading his clients to an innovative female ideal through subtle and endless evolution. The forties led to a new silhouette and was the foundation for the unprecedented creations that marked the fifties, for example, the new lines with the “baby doll”, the “sack” and obviously the “tunic”. Cristóbal Balenciaga, thus, started a revolution that separated the body from the dress giving more importance to a new element: air.

Cristóbal Balenciaga, Autumn Winter 1958. Photograph by Tom Kublin

Cristóbal Balenciaga: What Influenced Him? Cristóbal Balenciaga had a passion for historical clothing and art, which inspired him countless times and evidently influenced his work. The couturier would draw creativeness from Velasquez, Goya, Francisco de Zurbarán, Manet and more, creating designs highly resembling those of famous artworks. The couturier would also go back to his Spanish roots for inspiration as well as religious clothing.

Luki in Cardinal Coat, photo by Louise DahlWolfe, 1953

Francisco Goya, El cardenal don Luis María de Borbón y Vallabriga, 1802, oil on canvas, 214 x 136 cm. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain

Mary Jane Russell in Balenciaga’s “flamenco dress” of black velvet with pink ruffles, photo by Louise DahlWolfe, Harper’s Bazaar Sept. 1951

Significant influence from art The couturier encountered his aristocratic clients’ beautiful art collections, which led to a strong fascination for paintings by Old Masters. This passion translated into unmistakable shapes and minimalist lines, bold colours and voluminous architecture that were seen as Balenciaga’s signature.

Evening Dress, Balenciaga, 1952

Evening dress, Balenciaga, 1952

Ignazio Zuloaga, Portrait of Maria del Rosario de Silva y Gurtubay, Duchess of Alba, 1921. Museo Nacional ThyssenBornemisza, Madrid, Spain

Edouard Manet, Young Lady,1866. The Metropolitan Museum, New York City, USA

Having a look at some interesting details When looking more closely at the Master’s sketches, important indications or details would appear; small clarifications, such as sleeves or the construction of a bodice, would be emphasised greatly. Cristóbal Balenciaga used arrows in his sketches to show the direction of the fabric and a few words, often in Spanish, would add explanations for the Premier d’Atelier. Below, the couturier added simple but clear indications for the Premier d’Atelier. Small words from the hand of Balenciaga are visible on the drawings on the left, as mentioned earlier often in Spanish, but also in French. On the drawing on the right, parts of the dress are emphasised clearly.

A never resting creative mind The Master’s sketches are more refined than what one could imagine. His drawings range from specific details, such as sleeves or the construction of a bodice, to entire outfits. Balenciaga would add extra indications to his drawings, a small piece of fabric pinned to the paper for example. These fabrics would sometimes have the name of the provider on them, or it would be written directly by the Master on the paper.

The couturier would number his designs, which would be written on the sketches, often in red or blue pencil. These numbers, usually circled or underlined, would indicate the order in which the collection would be presented to the public. Indeed, when the models would walk during the collections’ launch, they held that very same number sketched on the drawing on a small sign. Making it crucial to recognise the designs, even today, from Balenciaga’s sketches.

What else are the drawings telling us? The couturier would personally assign the creation of his designs to his head-seamstresses, Premier d’Atelier in French. They would supervise the making of the designs in their workshop. Cristóbal Balenciaga would write the name of the Premier d’Atelier on his sketch, usually at the top. Here on the left, this model was under the supervision of Madame Claude, who worked for the Maison for thirty years, from 1938 to 1968. The model below was assigned to Monsieur Paul, Premier d’Atelier Tailleur, who worked for Balenciaga from 1952 to 1961.

But what is the other name? Cristóbal Balenciaga would also choose the model that would wear his design. The model would fully take part, from the first fittings of the “canvas” to completion, wearing the creation at all stages. Here, on those two drawings we can see that the couturier selected Nicole and Michelle. They would pose for the photographs that were taken in the salon of Avenue George V, or directly in the workshops, with no particular staging.

Balenciaga’s characteristic wedding dresses

Wedding dress worn by Elena Alvarez Cabal marrying Oscar Gutierrez-Bolivar de la Cuesta, 1954

Cristóbal Balenciaga was well known for his fabulous wedding dresses, emphasizing women’s shapes. Often made for high society and members of royal families, the couturier’s wedding dresses were one of his iconic signatures. As seen in the Master’s drawing here on the left, wedding dresses were pure essence of elegance and beauty.

The Baby Doll Dress

The Baby Doll dress, a signature design of Cristóbal Balenciaga, which was first created in 1958. The model is inspired by children’s clothes, which allow freedom of movement through their loose-fittings. This new design arose after tireless research and experimentation with the waistline in order to create different volumes.

The drawing depicts another Baby Doll dress, that was under the supervision of Madame Claude.

The dress was worn by María Sonsoles de Icaza y de León, Marchioness of Llanzol

“Le plus cher et clientèles les plus riches” Cristóbal Balenciaga, in over thirty years of revolutionising fashion, dressed some of the most distinguished, elegant and beautiful women in the world, including European Royalty, such as Countess Mona Von Bismarck and Grace Kelly. The Master also dressed iconic socialites and Hollywood stars: Marlene Dietrich, Audrey Hepburn, Marie Daems, Greta Garbo and many more.

Ingrid Bergman wearing Balenciaga in 1956 movie Anastasia

Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco, wearing Balenciaga in 1959

Lorenzo Riva From Paris to Milan Lorenzo Riva (1938), is an Italian fashion designer. After his first fashion show, when he was only 18 years old, he opened his first atelier and the press was quick to celebrate him. It was 1958. In the seventies he moved to Paris where he worked with the most famous couturiers. Then he returned to Milan and dedicated a collection to wedding dresses: they will become his specialty and traditionally close all of his fashion shows. In 1991 the presentation of the haute couture collection in Rome and then the prêt-à-porter, within Milano Collezioni. In 1996, he introduced its dresses to New York, to the Cristinerose Gallery of Soho. Over the years he has created dresses for famous people from the jet set and show business such as Isabella Rossellini, Penélope Cruz, Emmanuelle Seigner, Carmen Maura, Lana Marks, Whitney Houston, Jerry Hall, Chiara Mastroianni, Ivana Trump, Mafalda d’Aosta and Princess Claude de France. A documentary about his life, I am the sun, will soon be in cinemas.

Bibliography

Online resources ●

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Attanasio, D., 2017. Cristóbal Balenciaga dimenticava l’amore perduto vestendo le donne più chic (e ricche) del pianeta. [online] Marie Claire. Available at: <https://www.marieclaire.com/it/ moda/fashion-news/a19453325/cristobal-balenciaga-biografia/> [Accessed 11 October 2021]. Best Practices. 2013. Balenciaga 1950 The Duchess of Windsor. [online] Available at: <https:// brandsbestpractices.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/celebrities-who-favoured-balenciaga/ balenciaga-1950-the-duchess-of-windsor/> [Accessed 11 October 2021]. Elegancepedia. n.d. Cristóbal Balenciaga. [online] Available at: <http://www.elegancepedia.com/ cristobal-balenciaga.html> [Accessed 11 October 2021]. Gettyimages.it. n.d. Balenciaga 1950 Immagini e foto - Getty Images. [online] Available at: <https://www.gettyimages.it/immagine/balenciaga-1950?family=editorial&phrase=balenciaga%20 1950&sort=mostpopular> [Accessed 11 October 2021]. Google Arts & Culture. 2017. I Feel Pretty - Cristóbal Balenciaga Museoa - Google Arts & Culture. [online] Available at: <https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/i-feel pretty/igLymSwllSeDLQ> [Accessed 11 October 2021]. Google Arts & Culture. 2021. Cristóbal Balenciaga: The Early Years - Cristóbal Balenciaga Museoa - Google Arts & Culture. [online] Available at: <https://artsandculture.google.com/ exhibit/crist%C3%B3bal-balenciaga-the-early-years/VALimB4lq04sLg> [Accessed 11 October 2021]. Google Arts & Culture. n.d. 12 magnificent creations by Balenciaga - Kunstgewerbemuseum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin - Google Arts & Culture. [online] Available at <https://artsandculture. google.com/exhibit/12-magnificent-creations-by-balenciaga/WAKCFnJV2fqUKw> [Accessed 11 October 2021]. Google Arts & Culture. n.d. Cristóbal Balenciaga Museoa, Getaria, Spain - Google Arts & Culture. [online] Available at: <https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/cristobal-balenciaga-museoa> [Accessed 11 October 2021]. La Repubblica. 2019. Così lo stilista Balenciaga si ispirò ai dipinti più noti della storia dell’arte spagnola. [online] Available at: <https://www.repubblica.it/moda-e-beauty/2019/06/18/foto/ confronto_abiti_opere_arte_dipinti_stilista_balenciaga_e_la_pittura_spagnola_tra_xvi_e_xx_secolo_ esposizione_madrid_museo_th-291599225/1/> [Accessed 11 October 2021]. Mavaracchio, G., 2019. Da Velázquez a Goya, i capolavori che ispirarono Balenciaga. [online] Artuu.it. Available at: <https://www.artuu.it/da-velazquez-a-goya-i-capolavori-che-ispiraronobalenciaga/> [Accessed 11 October 2021].

Bibliography

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Metmuseum.org. n.d. Search the Collection. [online] Available at: <https://www.metmuseum.org/ art/collection/search#! q=balenciaga> [Accessed 11 October 2021]. Motterle, E., 2013. Cristóbal Balenciaga Inspiration. [online] Best Practices. Available at: <https:// brandsbestpractices.wordpress.com/2013/04/12/post-4/> [Accessed 11 October 2021]. Motterle, E., 2013. Maison Balenciaga Visual Timeline. [online] Best Practices. Available at: <https://brandsbestpractices.wordpress.com/2013/04/12/post2/> [Accessed 11 October 2021]. Museum, V., n.d. V&A Explore the Collections. [online] Victoria and Albert Museum. Available at: <https://collections.vam.ac.uk/search/?id_person=A2011> [Accessed 11 October 2021]. Osterman, G., 2020. Haute Couture at Cristóbal’s Balenciaga. [online] CR Fashion Book. Available at: <https://www.crfashionbook.com/fashion/g30610701/cristobal-balenciaga-haute-couture/> [Accessed 11 October 2021]. Palais Galliera | Musée de la mode de la Ville de Paris. n.d. Online collection. [online] Available at: <https://www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr/en/online-collection> [Accessed 11 October 2021]. Palaisgalliera.paris.fr. 2017. Balenciaga, l’œuvre au noir. [online] Available at: <https://www. palaisgalliera.paris.fr/sites/galliera/files/cp_dp_visuels/dossiers_de_presse/dp_balenciaga_eng_ hd.compressed.pdf> [Accessed 11 October 2021]. Sauer, J., 2019. The Fashion Legacy of Balenciaga. [online] CR Fashion Book. Available at: <https://www.crfashionbook.com/fashion/a26670096/balenciaga-museum-contexts-exhibitioninterview/> [Accessed 11 October 2021]. Vasco, E., n.d. Museo Cristóbal Balenciaga. Catalogo. EMSIME. [online] Patrimonio Cultural EMSIME. Available at: <https://apps.euskadi.eus/emsime/coleccion-online/museo-cristobal-balenciaga/museo-93> [Accessed 11 October 2021]. Venturini, M., 2021. Cristóbal Balenciaga: ritorno a pieno volume. [online] Wall Street International. Available at: <https://wsimag.com/it/moda/66670-cristobal-balenciaga-ritorno-apieno-volume> [Accessed 11 October 2021]. Victoria and Albert Museum. n.d. V&A · Cristóbal Balenciaga. [online] Available at: <https://www. vam.ac.uk/collections/cristobal-balenciaga> [Accessed 11 October 2021]. Youmanist.it. 2017. Cristóbal Balenciaga, l’uomo che riplasmò la moda femminile. [online] Available at: <https://youmanist.it/categories/cultura/cristobal-balenciaga> [Accessed 11 October 2021].

Books ●

Aspesi, N., 2006. La Memoria. Miti della moda. La domenica di Repubblica. 2nd July. PP. 32-33

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Balenciaga, C. and Walker, M., 2006. Balenciaga and his legacy. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press.

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Cristóbal Balenciaga Museoa. 2011. Balenciaga: Cristóbal Balenciaga Museoa. Nera Editions, S.A.

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Goblin, P. & Baron, F., 2006. Balenciaga Paris. London. Thames & Hudson.

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Jouve, M.A., 1997. Mémoire de la Mode: Balenciaga. Aussoline Edition.

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Jouve, M., Demornex, J. and Balenciaga, C., 1988. Cristóbal Balenciaga. Paris: Editions du Regard.

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The MET. 1973. The World of Balenciaga: an exhibition presented by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, under the auspices of the Government of Spain. New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Journals ●

Aspesi, N., 2006. Balenciaga L’eleganza perduta. La Domenica di Repubblica, pp 32-33.