The Best Classic Designer: Balenciaga

Many designers have their season in the sun; few cast their shadow on season after season, decade after decade, with works that are as at home in a museum as in a boutique. Designer Cristobal Balenciaga, one of the best-loved twentieth-century fashion masterminds, belongs in the latter category. Driving home this point is the new exhibit of his work at Paris's Museum of Fashion and Textiles, which will be up through the end of January.

Balenciaga's designs were acclaimed for being able to alter the silhouette of a woman's body.

The name Balenciaga may today be associated with the modern megabrand that produces some of the hottest handbags and designer clothes on the market, but half a century ago, Cristobal Balenciaga was best known for being the go-to guy for the style icons of an era. Designing for the elite classes in his native Spain from the time he was 12, he would later be the preferred couturier for the likes of Doris Duke, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and the Queen of Spain, according to the exhibit.

Balenciaga's designs were acclaimed for being able to alter the silhouette of a woman's body. He lengthened necks with set-back collars. He raised hemlines and dropped dress backs to create asymmetrical looks.

You might say that entering this new exhibit is a little like flying back in time and landing in the closet of Princess Grace of Monaco (if she'd filled it with mannequins wearing neon goggles in abstract ice landscapes . . . ). 160 pieces designed over a period of 70 years are on display, beginning with items from his Paris debut and continuing through the house's contemporary creations.

Filling two floors of the historic museum, the show is a feast for the eyes: The collection is arranged thematically and includes items such as a sumptuous red-velvet pleated coat, sophisticated suits paired with elbow-length gloves, black lace dresses, and a stunning 1967 wedding dress. There are bouffant skirts, lace collars, and jackets with bold, geometric shapes. A 1954 sleeveless cranberry gown, with a plunging V-neck and layers of smooth fabric artfully gathered below the waist, is not to be missed.

The earliest pieces are from 1937, the year Balenciaga opened his landmark Paris store, 10 Avenue George V, which quickly became one of the city's most important couture addresses (it also served as the namesake for Balenciaga's first perfume, Dix).

For decades, Balenciaga epitomized Parisian elegance, but with the onset of ready-to-wear, he grew disillusioned with the industry and left the business. When the designer, whom Christian Dior called 'the master of us all,' closed up shop in 1968, it's said that one of his favorite clients, Countess Mona Bismarck, mourned fashion's loss by locking herself up for 3 days. Balenciaga died 4 years later.

In 1997, designer Nicolas Ghesquière updated the house with his own must-have clothing and accessories. No one, however, has forgotten the influence of the line's founder. As cocurator of the new Paris show, Ghesquière has said that his goal was to show how well his predecessor's clothing stands up to the test of time.

Indeed, Balenciaga's original designs remain so timeless, they are still manufactured under the ready-to-wear label "Balenciaga.Edition." This year, the series features some items designed by Balenciaga over 50 years ago.

Because sometimes, the best of yesterday just can't be bested today.

Posted on August 28, 2006