The innovative designer Balenciaga, and reshaping Fashion

Balenciaga: a luxury Spanish born fashion house opened in 1919. A brand which, thanks to the bizarre creativity of the owner Cristobal Balenciaga, has reshaped fashion over the past century. Although Balenciaga had utmost success in Spain (including the Spanish royal family wearing his designs), Balenciaga was forced to close in Spain and move to Paris after the Spanish Civil War of 1936. Here he continued to accomplish a success named ‘revolutionary’, lasting to 21st century fashion. Balenciaga is now run by Demna Gvasalia, who is the current creative director. Gvasalia has consistently been stringent in keeping Cristobal’s original concepts alive, however his SS17 ready-to-wear collection hinted a change of direction being explored.

The collection offered Spandex leggings paired with slim fitting wrap blouses – something Balenciaga has not visited often… ‘slim’ and ‘Cristobel Balenciaga’ in the same sentence? It is not something the fashion world is familiar with. Other garments in the collection included knee-length leather coats with structured shoulders, a hooded and sleeveless ‘plastic’ appearing cape, and a long flowing floral dress. It was a bold move for Gvasalia to sexualise a brand which is known for distorting the female silhouette, however Gvasalia stated the collection is “not sexy, sensual”[1].

Visiting any Balenciaga exhibition can only be described as a visually engaging experience and the Balenciaga: Reshaping Fashion exhibition at the V&A in London did not disappoint. “A kind of lustful madness sets in” describes Rachel Cooke for The Guardian [2], an atmosphere recognised by everyone. Running throughout the exhibition is Cristobal’s original objective of altering the wearer’s shape. Many of the garments including the silk taffeta evening dress have an x-ray picture of the construction displayed beside creating an extra-terrestrial silhouette, similar to Alien’s 1970 Xenomorph silhouette. As you walk through the exhibition, you are greeted with a juxtaposition: the delicateness of the floral Oscar de la Renta sketched dress is a stark contrast from the masculinity in the Envelope Dress’ shoulders. There is a variation from classically elegant pieces that you can picture in at least one or two everyday situation, to the pieces which it would be impossible to even nip to the loo in (or put on without a team of expert stylists to help you into it), and it is evident Balenciaga is capable of creating anything and everything. “With fabrics we do what we can, Balenciaga does what he wants” stated Christian Dior [3], certainly an excellent depiction of Cristobal Balenciaga: once he made his mind up, it would become a reality.

This exhibition helps us understand Cristobal’s unique imagination, and gives us insight into the original ideas behind Balenciaga; the distortion of the silhouette. This has always been an objective of Cristobal’s from his drowning evening coats, to his double-balloon evening dress. In the AW17 collection, Gvasalia has worked to keep Cristobal’s lust for unnatural shapes; asymmetric coats buttoned up to one shoulder, shapeless shirt dresses, and ruffles drowning the wearer’s body were walked in the collection. One piece in particular is especially bizarre: an ostrich feathered dress accompanied by a sizeable matching bag (matching bags were seen throughout this collection). You can’t imagine yourself walking to the shops in any of the garments, but that’s what Balenciaga is about – although the collection is missing the extravagant sleeves that Cristobal was well-known for, the essence in each individual piece is one I’m sure the scrupulous designer would have been pleased with.

Balenciaga’s designs have not only captured our hearts, but the hearts of many Hollywood stars who are actually able to wear the pieces during day-to-day activities (we are envious). Audrey Hepburn was pictured in many Balenciaga designs throughout the 1960s, despite her love and loyalty for Givenchy. Reportedly Audrey, during one of Cristobal’s early shows even turned to Diana Vreeland and asked why she wasn’t “frothing at the mouth” at what she was seeing… [4] Ava Gardner is another to boast her admiration for Balenciaga’s designs; the romance began with a pale gold silk evening dress accompanied with a cape, and an evening coat sporting ostrich feather cuffs. Her pink La Tulipe dress is one of the most delicately delightful pieces donated to the V&A exhibition.

“Given that Balenciaga was so admired by his contemporaries (Christian Dior famously called him "the master of us all"), it comes as no surprise that his artistry continues to impact 21st Century designers” Vogue reviewed [5], and its true. Balenciaga can be seen all around us… not the colossal ruffled layers concealing somewhere underneath a sleeve, but in the puffer coats that have trickled down to high street shops over the past year, or the thick soled shoes found in every Zara, HM, and Topshop. These all have £3,000 versions that once have walked in a Balenciaga show, and even if we can’t afford the exact extravagant sleeves that we lust for oh-so-much, we can keep Cristobal’s legacy alive in every piece of clothing we buy that distorts some part of our natural figure. As summed up by Erdem Moralioglu, “his vision was so modern. There is a beautiful oddness and femininity to his clothes which is timeless” [6], and timeless I am confident Balenciaga will be.

[1]: http://www.vogue.co.uk/article/suzy-menkes-review-balenciaga-spring-summer-2017-paris-fashion-week

[2]: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2017/may/28/balenciaga-shaping-fashion-review-v-and-a

[3]: http://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/culture/balenciaga-the-father-of-fashion-is-still-influencing-what-women-wear-1-5026177

[4]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/brands/balenciaga-shaped-fashion-whose-clothes-madeaudrey-hepburn/

[5]: http://www.vogue.co.uk/article/v-a-museum-balenciaga-exhibition-preview-curator-cassie-davie-strodder

[6]: http://www.10magazine.com/womenswear/ten-quotes-cristobal-balenciagas-enduring-legacy