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HomeExploreFashionCristóbal Balenciaga Couture in Museum Collections
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A rounded hem, a floating back, and a dress that holds four sharp corners show how Cristóbal Balenciaga built shape with fabric. Museum photographs of his original couture trace those experiments from the late 1930s through the house’s closing in 1968. Look for where each garment touches the body and where the cut lets it stand away.

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Images27

1
Four-cornered envelope dress, 1967
Four-cornered envelope dress, 1967: The pointed sides open out from the body like the corners of an envelope. Silk gazar…
2
Silk gazar wedding dress, 1967
Silk gazar wedding dress, 1967: The pale silk gazar is firm enough to support a shape of its own. Balenciaga used the…
3
Queen Fabiola’s wedding dress, 1960
Queen Fabiola’s wedding dress, 1960: White mink trims the neckline, dropped waist, and train of the ivory satin gown. The…
4
Ivory silk organza party coat, 1964
Ivory silk organza party coat, 1964: Layered white and pink flowers cover the organza. The coat opens at the front and…
5
Lace baby doll dress, 1958
Lace baby doll dress, 1958: A sheer lace trapeze hangs from the shoulders. A narrow dress beneath it gives the eye a second…
6
Floral silk baby doll dress, 1958
Floral silk baby doll dress, 1958: Stiff ivory silk taffeta gives this printed baby doll dress a different outline from the…
7
Green silk gazar dress, 1967
Green silk gazar dress, 1967: A sleeveless green dress sweeps into a longer hem at the back. Stiff silk gazar keeps the…
8
Evening dress with matching cape, 1967
Evening dress with matching cape, 1967: The cape’s curved neckline sits away from the neck. The black silk dress beneath it…
9
Evening gown with an overdress, 1951
Evening gown with an overdress, 1951: Pleated silk organza decorates a silk taffeta evening gown and overdress. The layered…
10
Black taffeta balloon skirt, 1952
Black taffeta balloon skirt, 1952: A fitted bodice ends at the waist, where the skirt expands into a rounded volume…
11
Red martingale tunic ensemble, 1955
Red martingale tunic ensemble, 1955: A long red tunic overlaps a straight skirt. The Met notes that a belt at the back…
12
Wool chemise, 1955–56
Wool chemise, 1955–56: The bias-cut roll collar sits away from the neck. The body of the dress falls loosely below it, an…
13
Amphora-line evening dress, 1960
Amphora-line evening dress, 1960: The curved sides of this evening dress give the Amphora line its name. The fabric joins…
14
Black bouclé sack dress, 1957
Black bouclé sack dress, 1957: The bouclé wool hangs loosely from the shoulders. This version of the sack dress has a…
15
Fitted wool dress ensemble, 1947
Fitted wool dress ensemble, 1947: A narrow waist and long sleeves are set against a full pleated skirt. The defined waist…
16
Leaf-print silk dress, 1964
Leaf-print silk dress, 1964: Large green leaves repeat across the ivory silk. The loosely draped top runs into a straight…
17
Yellow scalloped evening dress, circa 1967
Yellow scalloped evening dress, circa 1967: The scalloped edge runs down the front of the yellow dress. A bow draws the…
18
Lesage-embroidered coat, 1961
Lesage-embroidered coat, 1961: The coat’s round neckline and three-quarter sleeves leave a broad surface for bright pink…
19
Ivory wool cocoon coat, 1955–62
Ivory wool cocoon coat, 1955–62: A dropped shoulder, rolled collar, and curved side make the coat wrap around the body. The…
20
Beaded silk organza evening coat, 1967
Beaded silk organza evening coat, 1967: White pearls, crystals, and feather-shaped sequins build over pink-dyed silk…
21
Matador-inspired evening bolero, 1946–47
Matador-inspired evening bolero, 1946–47: Balenciaga took the short shape and dense ornament of a bullfighter’s jacket into…

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