‘Baby doll’ cocktail dress, crêpe de chine, lace and satin, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, 1958 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London Alberta Tiburzi in ‘envelope’ dress by Cristóbal Balenciaga, Harper’s Bazaar, June 1967 © Hiro 1967 (left) haute couture collections and revert to an element that was designed and developed by Balenciaga. “I don’t think even the Bible has taught me as much as Balenciaga”, said his disciple for more than 10 years Hubert de Givenchy. Cristóbal was born in 1895 in Getaria, a fishing village in the Basque region. His mother, who was a seamstress, introduced the young boy to fashion. He was only 12 when he started an apprenticeship at a tailor’s in the neighboring fashionable resort of San Sebastian. Think of continuous training, of skills at every stage of the creation of a garment, of hard work and, definitely, of an innate passion and talent. All these elements led to the opening of his first dressmaking workshop in 1917 in northern Spain. Later, in 1937, the Spanish Civil War made him move to Paris where he established his couture house on Avenue George V. This was the address he remained at for the rest of his fifty-year career. Fifty incredible years of design, cutting, tailoring and dressmaking. “Balenciaga alone is a couturier in the truest sense of the word. Only he is capable of cutting material, assembling a creation and sewing it by hand, the others are simply fashion designers’, said his close friend Coco Chanel. The House of Balenciaga was the most exclusive and expensive couture establishment in Paris, where twice a year the new collections were shown to a very
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selected circle of admirers. Concerned to protect his designs, Balenciaga barred even the press from his initial showings. He was also keeping his private life away from media. Balenciaga gave his first and only interview to the Times in 1971. Luckily for us, some of his most iconic works are on display at this special exhibition and the doors of the V&A will remain open until 18 February 2018. Stop by and discover numerous emblematic models, fabrics, cuts, and styles, presented in an innovative way. Immerse yourself into archive sketches, patterns, photographs, samples and catwalk footage. Marvel at Balenciaga’s uncompromising creativity. You will be amazed to see how, for the first time, the V&A use x-ray technology to let you discover the hidden details inside Cristóbal Balenciaga’s garments. The patterns from some of his most iconic models have been digitized and animated to show how these elements come together to form the finished piece. 1954. Do you recognize this evening dress of silk taffeta? Yes, Balenciaga began experimenting with the balloon hem and this model with superior fabric draping became his signature. Dramatic effect, enhanced further by quirky hidden ties which knot just above the knee. You can see that the great swathes of fabric supported by hoops were drawn from the center front seam to form the bustle-like back.