In London, Victoria and Albert Museum opens exhibition couturier Cristobal Balenciaga.

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Before the war, the doomed heroines of Remarque's novels dreamed of his dresses; after the war he dressed the richest women of the Old and New Worlds. Couturier Cristobal Balenciaga - a star among the stars. According to Christian Dior, he was the chief conductor of the orchestra, in which all the other outstanding fashion designers are just ordinary musicians. Oscar de la Renta believed that Balenciaga is the only designer who has never succeeded in doing anything bad in his life. A protege of Balenciaga Hubert Givenchy called the work of the teacher his "religion." Balenciago is valued as a brilliant master of cut, a pro who has greatly changed our perception of traditional fabrics and has given fashion new typologies of women's dresses.

M. Shaw. Model trying on an orange coat from Balenciaga. Paris, 1954 © Mark Shaw C. Beaton (1904 - 1980). Flamenco evening dress. Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, 1961 © Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s Dress, Oscar de la Renta, New York. Coll. Spring-Summer, 2015 © Catwalking

Throughout his long career, Cristobal Balenciaga was held in high esteem, later his name was eclipsed by the fashion houses of Dior and Chanel, and the great artist was relegated to the general public. The grand exhibition, which opens in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, is intended to correct this injustice. Today, at the head of the fashion house is a young fashion designer, Georgian Demna Gvasalia. His collections and the museum show itself will allow to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the opening of the fashion house in Saint-Sebastian and the 80th anniversary of the opening of the house in Paris with a proper resonance.

R. Avedon. Eliza Daniels in costume from Balenciaga with street performers. Marais, Paris, 1948.

The exhibition's curator Cassie Davis-Stroder, says that the emphasis is on uncompromising creativity of the couturier. Balenciaga, modest in life and immersed in creativity, will be introduced as a revolutionary and godfather of avant-garde clothing of the entire twentieth century. The exhibition “Balenciaga. Shaping Fashion ”is the first large-scale display of the master's creative work in the UK, so the project has been prepared with chic and looks conceptual. The main focus is on the late, most brilliant period: 1950-60s. At this time, Balenciaga not only dressed outstanding women, but also made several key innovations in fashion: he offered a tunic, a balloon dress, a bag dress, a baby doll dress.

Hiro. Fkm, Alberta Tiburzi in an “envelope” dress, Cristóbal Balenciaga, June 1967. I. Penn, Lisa Fonsagrives-Penn in a coat from Balenciaga. Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, 1950 © Condé Nast / Irving Penn Foundation. A. Cartier-Bresson. Cristobal Balenciaga at work. Paris, 1968 © Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos. C. Beaton. Evening Dress. Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, 1962. © Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s.

Among the hits of the exposition are the costumes sewn for Hollywood star Ava Gardner, style icons, socialite Gloria Guinness, and the things that richest lady of post-war Europe wore Mona von Bismarck - it was she who ordered everything from evening dresses to garden shorts. The exhibition presents more than 100 outfits and 20 hats, many of which are publicly shown for the first time. Much attention is paid to the details of the cut. Visitors to the exhibition will see a film in which the couturier models are x-rayed. The project was attended by artist Nick Vizi, who also specializes in artwork made with x-rays. It should be remembered that the collection of models by Cristobal Balenciaga, which the Victoria and Albert Museum possesses, is unique. Back in the 1970s, Cecil Beaton began collecting it.

Evening Dress. Silk Taffeta, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, 1954. Evening dress and cape, silk Mikado, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, 1967 Cocktail Baby doll dress, crepe de Chine, lace, satin. Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, 1958. Jacket Bolero. Velvet, felt, applique. Balenciaga for EISA, Spain, 1947 © Museo Cristóbal Balenciaga. Evening dress, metal wire, plastic sequins. Paco Rabanne, Paris, 1967. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London Spiral hat. Silk, Balenciaga for EISA, Spain 1962 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

The exhibition “Balenciaga. Shaping Fashion »is open from 05/27/2017 until 02/18/2018.