Balenciaga And Spain

Another fashion designer, another book? Well, Cristóbal Balenciaga is something else, for he is basically responsible for the way we see fashion today. He opened his first boutique in 1918, kept going during WW2 (customers literally risked their lives to come to his shows) and in the post-war years the full scale of his inventiveness became evident. Balenciaga invented the tunic dress, the balloon skirt, the cocoon coat. But most important, his manipulation of the waist resulted in ‘a new silhouette for women’. Balenciaga and Spain accompanies the exhibition about the impact of Spain’s culture, history and art on the designer that is hailed as ‘Fashion’s Picasso’ (Cecil Beaton) and ‘the master of us all’ (Christian Dior).