Cristóbal Balenciaga

Cristóbal Balenciaga
Cristóbal Balenciaga

Cristobal Balenciaga, 1950
Born January 21, 1895(1895-01-21)
Getaria, Gipuzkoa, Spain
Died March 23, 1972(1972-03-23) (aged 77)
Jávea, Alicante, Spain
Other names Basque: Cristobal Balentziaga Eizagirre
Occupation Fashion designer
Labels Balenciaga

Cristóbal Balenciaga Eizaguirre (pronounced: [kɾisˈtoβal balenˈθjaɣa ejθaˈgire]) (January 21, 1895, Spain – March 23, 1972, Spain) was a Spanish Basque fashion designer and the founder of the Balenciaga fashion house.

Balenciaga was born in Getaria, a fishing town in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, on January 21, 1895.[1] His mother was a seamstress, and as a child Balenciaga often spent time with her as she worked.[1] At the age of twelve, he began work as the apprentice of a tailor.[2] When Balenciaga was a teenager, the Marchioness de Casa Torres, the foremost noblewoman in his town, became his customer and patron.[1] She sent him to Madrid, where he was formally trained in tailoring.[1] (Balenciaga is notable as one of the few couturiers in fashion history who could use their own hands to design, cut, and sew the models which symbolized the height of his artistry.)[citation needed]

Balenciaga was successful during his early career as a designer in Spain. He opened a boutique in San Sebastián, Spain, in 1919,[3] which expanded to include branches in Madrid and Barcelona.[1] The Spanish royal family and the aristocracy wore his designs, but when the Spanish Civil War forced him to close his stores, Balenciaga moved to Paris.[1][2] Balenciaga opened his Paris couture house on Avenue George V in August 1937.[1]

However, it was not until the post-war years that the full scale of the inventiveness of this highly original designer became evident. In 1951, he totally transformed the silhouette, broadening the shoulders and removing the waist. In 1955, he designed the tunic dress, which later developed into the chemise dress of 1957. And eventually, in 1959, his work culminated in the Empire line, with high-waisted dresses and coats cut like kimonos. In 1960 he made the wedding dress for Fabiola de Mora y Aragón when she married king Baudouin I of Belgium. The Queen later donated her wedding dress to the Cristóbal Balenciaga Foundation.[4] Fabiola was also the granddaughter of Marchioness de Casa Torres.

His often spare, sculptural creations were considered masterworks of haute couture in the 1950s and 1960s.

Balenciaga closed his house in 1968 at the age of 74 after working in Paris for 30 years. He decided to retire and closed his fashion houses in Paris, Barcelona and Madrid, one after the other.[2]

He taught fashion design classes, inspiring other designers such as Oscar de la Renta, André Courrèges, Emanuel Ungaro, Mila Schön and Hubert de Givenchy.[1] Today the Balenciaga fashion house continues under the direction of Nicolas Ghesquière and under the ownership of the Gucci Group.[5]

Balenciaga died March 23, 1972 in Jávea, Spain.

On 24 March 2011 at San Francisco’s M.H. de Young Museum they celebrated the opening of “Balenciaga and Spain,” a 120-piece fashion retrospective of Cristóbal Balenciaga’s career. “You can’t even measure it,” said Rodarte designer Laura Mulleavy of Balenciaga’s influence. The $2,500-a-ticket fund-raiser for the museum drew 350 guests, including Marissa Mayer, Jamie Tisch, Gwyneth Paltrow, Orlando Bloom, Balthazar Getty, Maggie Rizer, Connie Nielsen, Maria Bello and Mia Wasikowska.[6]

References

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  • Cristóbal Balenciaga — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Cristóbal Balenciaga Eizaguirre Nacimiento 21 de enero de 1895 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Cristóbal Balenciaga — (* 21. Januar 1895 in Getaria, Spanien; † 23. März 1972 in Jávea, Spanien) war ein einflussreicher Modeschöpfer der Haute Couture. Balenciaga wurde als Sohn eines baskischen Fischers und einer Näherin geboren. Gefördert durch eine spanische… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cristobal Balenciaga — Cristóbal Balenciaga (* 21. Januar 1895 in Getaria, Spanien; † 23. März 1972 in Jávea, Spanien) war ein einflussreicher Modeschöpfer der Haute Couture. Balenciaga wurde als Sohn eines baskischen Fischers und einer Näherin geboren. Gefördert durch …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cristobal Balenciaga — Cristóbal Balenciaga Cristóbal Balenciaga Eizaguirre, né le 21 janvier 1895 à Getaria petit village de pêcheurs de la côte basque espagnole et décédé le 23 mars 1972 à Valence, était un grand couturier espagnol. Son style… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Cristóbal Balenciaga — Eizaguirre, né le 21 janvier 1895 à Getaria petit village de pêcheurs de la côte basque espagnole et décédé le 23 mars 1972 à Valence, était un grand couturier. Son style classique et épuré lui a valu de compter parmi ses… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Cristobal Balenciaga — Infobox Fashion Designer caption= Cristóbal Balenciaga when young name=Cristóbal Balenciaga nationality=Spanish birth date=birth date|1895|1|21|mf=y birth place=Getaria, Spain death date=death date and age|1972|3|23|1895|1|21|mf=y death place=… …   Wikipedia

  • Cristobal Balenciaga — noun Spanish fashion designer known for his stark elegant designs (1895 1972) • Syn: ↑Balenciaga • Instance Hypernyms: ↑couturier, ↑fashion designer, ↑clothes designer, ↑designer …   Useful english dictionary

  • Balenciaga — is a fashion house founded by Cristóbal Balenciaga, a Spanish designer, born in the Basque Country. He had a reputation as a couturier of uncompromising standards and was referred to as the master of us all by Christian Dior. [cite news | last… …   Wikipedia

  • BALENCIAGA (C.) — BALENCIAGA CRISTOBAL (1895 1972) Issu d’un modeste village de pêcheurs en Espagne, Balenciaga, «le couturier des couturiers», est devenu l’arbitre de l’élégance parisienne. Soucieux de rejeter les effets faciles alors que dans le contexte de… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Balenciaga — Cristóbal Balenciaga (* 21. Januar 1895 in Getaria, Spanien; † 23. März 1972 in Jávea, Spanien) war ein einflussreicher Modeschöpfer der Haute Couture. Balenciaga wurde als Sohn eines baskischen Fischers und einer Näherin geboren. Gefördert durch …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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