The Balenciaga Exhibition At The Spanish Institute

At the Spanish Institute at 648 Park Avenue through February 19th, 2011

I heard Hamish Bowles give a talk at FIT last night. The exhibit is
curated with Balenciaga's chief inspirations in mind ranging
from Spanish court dress, artist friends such as Miro as well as bull-fighting,
and flamenco dance. Balenciaga's mother was a seamstress in the
town of Guetaria and from there Balenciaga learned English tailoring,
became the head of a fashion house in San Sebastian and then moved to Paris.

Hamish Bowles also talked about the church vestments
(displayed in the church of Guetaria) playing a role in the designer's creations,
from the cassock to the cape which could also be worn as an over skirt.

Balenciaga was a master and his incredible sculptural pieces
are timeless and still look very modern.


The exhibit is an extraordinary collection of pieces from the
Balenciaga archives in Paris, Hamish Bowles' personal collection, the FIT
collection and the Victoria and Albert Museum.