Daylight Savings Time had me up at 5 45 am PST this morning where I read on WWD.com that Nicolas Ghesquiere was leaving his post at Balenciaga after fifteen years as Creative Director. He has actually been at the house since the mid-90s where he handled less glamorous components of fashion such as licensed designs and making funeral clothes for the Japanese market. The dress below is likely from the period when Ghesquiere has first joined the House of Balenciaga, but may not have his actual talented touch. This dress does however demonstrate the modernity of Cristobal Balenciaga which continued after his death in 1972. A flawless black duchess satin dress with flattering and elongating seems that literally burst from the bust. I am excited for Ghesquiere's next venture as he has proven himself to be one of the great talents to emerge from the 1990s and certainly his last few collections were exciting in their complete modernity. His final collection which was met with raves managed to manipulate the iconic ruffles of Cristobal Balenciaga but in a thoroughly modern way. His "moto" bag has transitioned from "It" bag to classic and I was always impressed with what I saw within a Balenciaga boutique: just the right mix of commercial, editorial, and artistic fashion. Sort of what this dress is all about, no? Did the clothes sell? Fashion insiders said the collections were unsuccessful at retail, but one that is for sure: Ghesquiere for Balenciaga has always flown off the shelves at Decades since he is the epitome of a future collectible designer.
-Cameron
Balenciaga black satin gown, c. 1990's. Modern size 4. SOLD
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