Balenciaga

Balenciaga

Famed as the favoured couture house of European queens and high-class fashionistas, Balenciaga is known for innovation and a new take on the feminine silhouette.

Balenciaga began as the brain-child of fashion designer, Cristobal Balenciaga in 1918. Balenciaga embraced the lines, curves and silhouettes of a woman's body, using it as the inspiration to create new fashion. He is credited with developing new and interesting shapes in fashion including the balloon skirt, the baby doll dress, the sack dress and the bracelet wrist sleeve. Balenciaga was forced out of Spain during the Spanish Civil War, but flourished in the fashion-culture of Paris. Here, the label established itself as a top haute couture designer until its closing in 1968. The label was resurrected in the late 1980s, and climbed back to the top under Nicolas Ghesquière's direction in the late 1990s. 

The Style

 Today, Balenciaga has again established itself as haute couture fashion label ready to push the envelope and reinvent common silhouettes. Balenciaga plays with volume, combining strong shoulders and puffy sleeves with flared knee-length skirts and tapered pants. Balenciaga’s fashion is known for the play with pattern and color, paring prints, shiny fabrics and pops of saturated color. Balenciaga's shoe and jewellery collections feature are of luxurious quality combining bright colours with unexpected details. From orange pumps to ankle boots featuring a combination of animal prints to neutral shoes with unexpected colour on the heels, Balenciaga shoes make a splash. Balenciaga bags come in all sizes from tiny, animal-print clutches to large, luxurious leather bags.