Cristobal Balenciaga, patriarch of the House of Balenciaga was born in Guetaria, San Sebastian, Spain on January 21, 1895.
It is not surprising that Spain has produced a genius like Balenciag, capable of the most daring innovations in a superbly classic style. What is surprising is that this Spaniard became the leading French fashion designer.
Balenciaga's Great Designer -- Cristobal Balenciaga
His mother was a seamstress, and as a child Balenciaga ( Balenciaga handbags ) often spent time with her as she worked. At the age of twelve, he began work as the apprentice of a tailor. When Balenciaga was a teenager, the Marquesa de Casa Torres, the foremost noblewoman in his town, became his customer and patron. Because he astounded the Marquise with his comments on her elegance. She sent him to Madrid, where he was formally trained in tailoring. (Balenciaga is notable as one of the few couturiers in fashion history who could use their own hands to design, cut, and sew the models which symbolized the height of his artistry.)
Balenciaga ( Balenciaga handbags ) was successful during his early career as a designer in Spain. He opened a boutique in San Sebastián, Spain, in 1919, which expanded to include branches in Madrid and Barcelona. The Spanish royal family and the aristocracy wore his designs, but when the Spanish Civil War forced him to close his stores, Balenciaga moved to Paris. Balenciaga opened his Paris couture house on Avenue George V in August 1937.
However, it was not until the post-war years he rose to international fame , wherein he became part of the triad who dressed the world's most beautiful woman with the launch of the New Look by Christian Dior. Balenciaga is a master of illusion, envisioning the garment as a three-dimensional form. His most famous contribution to fashion is the baby doll look which he introduced in 1957. Getting his inspiration from Spanish art and vernacular costume and mixing it with his genius for illusion, the baby doll look was born. And eventually, in 1959, his work culminated in the Empire line, with high-waisted dresses and coats cut like kimonos. His often spare, sculptural creations were considered masterworks of haute couture in the 1950s and 1960s.
Balenciaga retired in 1968 and died in 1972. The House of Balenciaga was owned by Jacques Bogart SA until the Spring of 2001 when Gucci bought a controlling interest in the house. He taught fashion design classes, inspiring other designers such as Oscar de la Renta, André Courrèges, Emanuel Ungaro, and Hubert de Givenchy. Today the Balenciaga fashion house continues under the direction of Nicolas Ghesquière who started designing for Balenciaga in 1995.
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