Balenciaga

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In 1919, Spanish Basque fashion designer Cristòbal Balenciaga first started the Balenciaga fashion house as a small boutique in San Sebastián, Spain. The designer had a reputation from the start for having high, and unwavering, standards. It was this commitment to impeccable design that elevated the Balenciaga name among his contemporaries. This steadfast attention to detail coupled with the founder’s forward-thinking approach to designs would both become hallmarks of the Balenciaga fashion house. As the company expanded, Balenciaga boutiques were opened in Santiago, Madrid, and Barcelona. The Balenciaga reputation had grown so much that the Spanish Royal Family began to wear the company’s designs. However, with the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Cristòbal was forced to close his stores in Spain. He moved to Paris shortly afterward. In Paris, Balenciaga opened a store on the posh Avenue George V. It was 1937, and the designer had his first runway show, which was steeped in references to the Spanish Renaissance. The collection was an overnight success, with the French Press raving about the new designer who had just recently arrived from Spain. They called Balenciaga’s designs revolutionary, with public demand increasing as a result. One of the popular Balenciaga creations of this time was the brand’s signature “square coat,” in which the coat’s sleeves were cut along with the yoke. During the post-War years, Balenciaga’s designs had cleaner, more defined lines — in stark contrast to the feminine hourglass shapes presented by Christian Dior and other designers of the time. The shapes created by Balenciaga enabled him to play with the design and its relation to a woman’s natural body shape — for example, a waistline would be dropped below or placed above a woman’s natural waistline, adding visual interest and creating an ever-changing silhouette. By the 1950s, Balenciaga would turn the traditional hourglass shape on its ear by playing with more modern shapes. His innovative designs spawned creations like the tunic dress (1951), the balloon jacket (1953), the baby doll dress, (1957), the cocoon dress (1957), the balloon skirt (1957), and the sack dress (1957). By 1959, Balenciaga would finish off the decade with his creation of the empire line, an elevated waistline used on Balenciaga dresses and coats. This new cut would further modernize women’s fashion just in time for the new era. The Balenciaga designs of the 1960s incorporated a lot of embroidery work and heavy fabrics. The brand became known for their heavy collar design that accentuated the collarbone, giving the wearer a long-necked and “swan-like” appearance. This design also included shortened cuffs and sleeves. By the mid-1980s, luxury perfume and toiletries manufacturer Jacques Bogart S.A. purchased Balenciaga and released a new ready-to-wear line called “Le Dix.” Designed by French designer Michel Goma, the new Balenciaga line received mixed reviews. Goma would continue designing for Balenciaga for five more years. In 1992, Goma’s successor, Dutch designer Josephus Thimister, would join the ranks of the company and would be responsible for reversing the brand’s increasingly irrelevant status in the fashion world, turning it into one of the most powerful fashion houses of the time. The young French designer Nicolas Ghesquière would join Balenciaga as license designer around this same time as Thimister. Ghesquière was promoted to head designer of the fashion house not long after, in 1997. He remained in this position until 2012, when the company announced that American fashion designer Alexander Wang would take over the role as Balenciaga’s new creative director. The young designer released his debut collection for the brand at Paris Fashion Week in February of 2013; the line was celebrated for its unusual materials and its intricate craftsmanship. Today, the Balenciaga name continues to be associated with a classy, yet avant-garde approach to fashion. In particular, Balenciaga handbags, with their super sleek design, have been at the forefront of the brand’s success in recent years.

791 items total

Balenciaga

Calfskin Neo Classic Silver Hardware S City Candy Pink

Condition: Excellent

$1,795

Balenciaga

Calfskin Checked S Ville Top Handle Bag Black

Condition: Very Good

$895

Balenciaga

Pony Hair Silver Classic Hardware Mini City Black

Condition: Very Good

$995

Balenciaga

PVC Logo Womens Pool Slide Sandals 40 Black White

Condition: Excellent

$295

Balenciaga

Nylon Gym Wear Messenger Bag Black

Condition: Excellent

$650

Balenciaga

Agneau Classic Hardware City Black

Condition: Very Good

$850

Balenciaga

Agneau Graffiti Classic Hardware S City Black

Condition: Excellent

$1,995

Balenciaga

Agneau Classic Hardware City White

Condition: Very Good

$525

Balenciaga

Neoprene Knit Mens Hi Speed Sneakers 42 Black White

Condition: Very Good

$475

Balenciaga

Agneau Classic Silver Hardware Mini City Camel

Condition: Excellent

$1,195

Balenciaga

Crocodile Embossed Calfskin XL Cloud Clutch White

Condition: Excellent

$1,080

Balenciaga

Shiny Box Calfskin Small B Bag Blue

Condition: Excellent

$890

Balenciaga

Chevre Gold Metallic Edge Hardware Town Bleu Acier

Condition: Very Good

$725

Balenciaga

Veau Papier A6 Zip Around Tote Castagna

Condition: Very Good

$550

Balenciaga

Shiny Box Calfskin Hourglass Chain Bag Liliac

Condition: Excellent

$1,230

Balenciaga

Tight Booties 38 Black

Condition: Excellent

$425

Balenciaga

Agneau Classic Hardware Town Rose Blush

Condition: Good

$325

Balenciaga

Agneau Graffiti Classic Hardware Mini City Black

Condition: Excellent

$1,795

Balenciaga

Agneau Classic Hardware City Black

Condition: Very Good

$850

Balenciaga

Agneau Classic Gold Hardware S City Gris Fossile

Condition: Excellent

$1,495

Balenciaga

Agneau Arena Le Cagole Shoulder Bag XS Azur Clair

Condition: Excellent

$1,995

Balenciaga

Agneau Giant 12 Silver Hardware Velo Bleu Dragee

Condition: Very Good

$625

Balenciaga

Agneau Classic Hardware Work Jaune Tournesol

Condition: Very Good

$595

Balenciaga

Veau Allover Logo Classic Hardware S City Black

Condition: Very Good

$1,495

Balenciaga

Agneau Giant 12 Rose Gold Hardware First Atlantique

Condition: Very Good

$580

Balenciaga

Agneau Classic Hardware City Rouge Cardinal

Condition: Very Good

$775

Balenciaga

Shiny Box Calfskin Hourglass Chain Bag Black

Condition: Very Good

$1,095

Balenciaga

Calfskin Allover Logo XS Bazar Shopper Tote Black

Condition: Very Good

$795

Balenciaga

Nylon Allover Logo Documents Case Black

Condition: Excellent

$405

Balenciaga

Cotton Canvas Calfskin Navy Cabas XS Natural

Condition: Very Good

$500

Balenciaga

Calfskin Hello Kitty XXS Ville Top Handle Bag Pink

Condition: Excellent

$1,295

Balenciaga

Cotton Canvas Pochette Crossbody Bag Rose Flamingo

Condition: Very Good

$440

Balenciaga

Chevre Gold Metallic Edge Hardware Mini City White

Condition: Very Good

$1,250

Balenciaga

Agneau Classic Hardware Card Case Rose Berlingot

Condition: Very Good

$205

Balenciaga

Shiny Grained Goatskin Black Metallic Edge City Black

Condition: Excellent

$2,195

Balenciaga

Chevre Gold Metallic Edge Hardware City Gris Taupe

Condition: Excellent

$1,350

Balenciaga

Embossed Calfskin Gossip Chain Bag XS Candy Pink

Condition: Excellent

$1,395

Balenciaga

Vibrato Calfskin Classic Silver Hardware City Black

Condition: Excellent

$1,095

Balenciaga

Calfskin Papier Mini A4 Zip Around Tote Beige Sable

Condition: Very Good

$690

Balenciaga

Agneau Classic Silver Hardware City Logo Strap Black

Condition: Excellent

$1,350

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