BALENCIAGA Cristóbal (Designer)

Layered bells form the sleeves of this cape, worn over a matching dress. They exemplify the shapely simplicity that made Cristóbal Balenciaga a great couturier. His genius lay in cut. The sack dress, the balloon dress, the kimono-sleeve coat and a collar cut to elongate the neck were a few of his fashion innovations, although his clothes also came with a disclaimer: "No woman can make herself chic if she is not chic herself", Balenciaga once said. His Spanish severity contrasted with the light femininity of French designers; his favourite fabric was silk bazar, diaphanous but stiff, which satisfied his instinct for the sculptural. As early as 1938, Balenciaga's modern vision was influential, explained by Harper's Bazaar thus, "Balenciaga abides by the law that elimination is the secret of chic". In 1968, after a battle against what he saw as the tide of vulgarity flowing through fashion, Balenciaga bowed out with the words, "It's a dog's life".

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