Word: balenciaga
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...FASHION PURIST who reportedly never gave a single interview, Cristóbal Balenciaga created a revolution with his subtle hand and rigorous tailoring. So flattering were the cut and construction of his clothes that Diana Vreeland once declared, "In a Balenciaga you were the only woman in the room." Born in a small Basque village in Spain in 1895, Balenciaga worked in his mother's seamstress shop and found his first client at 13 when a local countess permitted him to copy one of her couture dresses. She later paid his way to Madrid for formal training. By 1919 Balenciaga...
...cabochon ring bulgari.com) Di Modolo Favola yellow gold and onyx ring dimodolo.com) Tiffany & Co. Frank Gehry Torque yellow gold ring (Tiffany & Co., 800-526-0649); David Yurman Albion black onyx and diamond ring davidyurman.com) Cartier Panther yellow gold and black lacquer ring cartier.com) Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière leather hard-case wristlet (Barneys New York, 212-826-8900); Valentino satin-embellished sandals (Valentino, 800-997-0140); La D de Dior gold watch with sun-brushed dial, crocodile strap and diamond bezel dior.com
Volume explodes in the most unexpected places. This page: Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière silk and velvet embroidered bodice, hand-painted jacquard skirt and leather harness boot (Balenciaga, 212-206-0872); felt hat (Lissilaa, 858-454-0874). Opposite: Lanvin silk organza dress and Swarovski crystal necklace (Barneys New York...
...Balenciaga's heyday, the stylish women he dressed--from Doris Duke to Mona von Bismarck--often said he gave them noble posture. Most women today don't want to look quite so regal and stiff, but they do want to feel au courant, and that modern poise is perhaps Balenciaga's most enduring legacy...
...Balenciaga closed down his ateliers just as the student riots revved up in Paris. His reason was simple: he couldn't keep up with the revolutionary spirit of the 1960s. Like great athletes, the great designers know when they have played their best...