Cristóbal Balenciaga in conversation with then Editor of U.S. Harper's Bazaar Carmel Snow.
Each time a new exhibit examines the work of one of fashion's great masters, I wince just a little. I wince because exhibits such as these serve as a reminder to current generations of just how impoverished modern fashion has become in comparison. A sense of loss and regret is precisely how I felt when I left the Yves Saint Laurent retrospective at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in 2008 and I suspect I will feel the same when I see the new Cristóbal Balenciaga exhibit, BALENCIAGA: Spanish Master, at New York's Queen Sofía Spanish Institute scheduled to open in Manhattan this November.
Dubbed "Fashion's Picasso" by Cecil Beaton and one of the few couturiers openly admired by the persnickety and competitive Coco Chanel, the rigorous simplicity of his innovative designs appealed to women of class and character: Mona Bismarck, Pauline de Rothschild, Barbara Hutton and countless other socialites and notables patronized his ateliers regularly. Most revealing of his place in Fashion's hierarchy however was the fact that his early mentor, the revered French designer Madeleine Vionnet, remained a devoted client until her death. He remains a revered figure to fashion's greats including Hubert de Givenchy and Azzedine Alaia (whom he still inspires to this day). High praise indeed.
The exhibition, on view from November 19, 2010 until February 19, 2011, was conceived by Oscar de la Renta and curated by Vogue’s European Editor at Large, Hamish Bowles. Bowles who incidentally owns a substantial personal collection of haute couture creations including important works by Balenciaga, wrote the accompanying catalogue which will be published by Rizzoli. The exhibit will examine the influence of Spanish culture on the designer’s creative process and body of work and will include noted Spanish works of art and decorative arts in support of the exhibit's curatorial thesis. I don't know about you but I suddenly find myself looking past the summer and longingly towards November.
Sincerely,
The Luxe Chronicles
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