BYE BYE BALENCIAGA

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

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-1960. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing.

WHAT CAME FIRST?

What came first for you today: the shoe or the dress?  In this sole society, I bet many of you have been so seduced by a pair of shoes that you design your entire outfit around your feet.  The Max Kibardin shoes below are show stoppers.  In flamenco pink with plastic spikes and a splattering of Swarovski crystals, I doubt any of you have a shoe like this in your closet.  But you should. I met Max last night and dig his shoes.  I always like to be on the lookout for designers who aren't ubiquitous and Max is a shoe magician that should be on your radar.  These are the top of shoes that come first and the dress will follow.  In this instance I suggest a very modern looking Balenciaga dress from the 1990s of black crepe with cap sleeves and a bow, it's a blend of lady like 1950s sophistication has met 1990s minimalism.   However, I am suggesting some maximum shoes.  The tunic/dress is super short so unless you are highly confident, may I suggest a pair of leather shorts or a slim tuxedo pant.  Whatever you do, make sure you shoes are wicked.

-Cameron

Balenciaga "Le Dix" black crepe tunic dress  c. 90's.  Sample size, modern US 4 SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-1960. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing.

BULLITT POINT

Nothing is more rewarding than discovering the provenance of a treasured dress.  My favorite way to acquire goods for Decades is from the original owners, but when an Eisa comes to us that was designed in 1952, as time goes by, the likelihood of the original owner coming to us with her dress becomes more and more occasional.  Fortunately the amazing Igor Zubizarreta of the Balenciaga Foundation in Madrid helped me discover that this Eisa gown designed by Cristobal Balenciaga was originally owned by the fascinating Anne Moen Bullitt. A similar model was photographed  by the late Gleb Derujinsky in April of 1953.  The picture is appropriately titled "Models on the Balcony." 

American socialite Anne Moen Bullitt lived in Spain from around 1948 to 1952.  At the time, she was married to Nicholas Duke Biddle, who was serving as a foreign service officer at the United States embassy in Madrid.  Eisa was the name of Balenciaga's original surviving label based in Spain (other business ventures floundered prior) that he founded in 1927.  Let's call Eisa his homegrown Couture and the Cristobal Balenciaga label his Parisian branch.  Bullitt was a famous collector of clothing and amassed a formidable collection of Balenciaga, Sybil Connolly, Lanvin, and Yves Saint Laurent.  Bullitt's fascinating history has totally consumed me.  Her mother was Louise Bryant, the American journalist who witnessed the October Revolution in Russia and was played by Diane Keaton in the film Reds.  Her father was William C. Bullitt, the first US Ambassador to the Soviet Union  from 1933 and 1936.  Among other things, he was psychoanalyzed by Sigmund Freud.  Bullitt and Freud actually authored a book about Woodrow Wilson together that they worked on in the 1930s, but it wasn't published until 1967. 

As you can read, Anne Moen Bullitt was surrounded by fascinating 20th century figures and certainly dressed the part from the day she was born in 1924 to her death in 2007.   She was famously tiny with an 18 inch waist and apparently a rather full bosom.  Dita von Teese could fill out this dress exquisitely.  Interestingly, Bullitt was the first female breeder and trainer of thoroughbred horses in Ireland

I can't stop reading about her and her family.  So much so that I haven't written much about the dress.  But this Eisa is extraordinary...as was the original owner.  I expect the next owner to be fill the shoes and bust of Ms. Bullitt and enjoy telling the tales of the past owner while she makes her own in a cream silk and puce tulle ball gown.

-Cameron

 

Eisa by Cristobal Balenciaga of cream silk and puce tulle gown, c. 1952.  Size zero with an18" waist. 

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-1960. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing.

HEADING SOUTH!

I am on my way to Savannah for the Film Festival then making a quick detour back in LA for a friend's 20th Anniversary (look for pics on Wireimage Thurdsay night) and then to Augusta for a chi-chi trunk show. It's 6 AM and I am packing but was feeling like I was missing all our friends out there in the blogosphere so I am leaving with you something extraordinary and expensive before I get on the airplane. This Cristobal Balenciaga Haute Couture cream silk dress is bride-worthy; red carpet-friendly; Bill Cunningham snap shot-ready; and the perfect base for a Chaumet Crown or Lorenz Baumer jewels. It's petite, so meet me at the Place Vendome and let's get hitched, but avoid the pain au chocolat!
What were you for Halloween by the way? I was a bathrobe.
-Cameron

Cristobal Balenciaga Haute Couture cream silk evening gown, c. late 1950s. Modern size 2

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-1960. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue (2nd Floor) at Harper Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting, so may offer you a high level of personal service.

THE TIME HAS COME

Hello fall! I am ready for you. I have been waiting for what feels like fifty plus years, but I am all yours and will work on many of you. I am an equal opportunity "opportunity". You see, I am a Balenciaga Haute Couture early 60s nubbly wool coat that will work on a multitude of sizes. I am the shape of next season, even though I was made decades ago. Actually, I am perfect to wear right now with a pair of Perrin leather gloves and some Ghesquiere-era current Balenciaga. Trust me, I am a really good investment and I am lined in red. Please take me home.
-This coat as channeled by Cameron

Cristobal Balenciaga Haute Couture nubbly black wool coat lined in red, c. early 1960s. Modern 4 to 10. SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-0223. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue (2nd Floor) at Harper Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting, so may offer you a high level of personal service.