How Cristóbal Balenciaga Redefined Fashion In 1950's ?

As most fashion brands have established style idioms as part of their visual vocabulary, no other house has historically put as much effort into black as Balenciaga. However, unlike the light aqua known as Tiffany blue or the blazing orange of Hermes, black at Balenciaga is not an advertising gimmick. On the contrary, it is the signature hue that allowed Cristobal Balenciaga (1895-1972) to focus on creating a sculptural vision of women's clothing that became the main pillar of his design ethic and synonymous with creative integrity, rather than marketing with its many manifestations that often dilute, but not enhance, the message.

Balenciaga's kinship with the color black was multi-layered. Rooted in his Spanish childhood, the color for him is imbued with references to matadors, folklore, piety, austerity and more. The pronounced contrast of light and dark is created when black is in contact with the scorching sun, particularly piercing in Spain, and it played a central role in the visual effect of his clothes, just as it allowed his compatriot, the painter Diego Velázquez, to convey depth in two-dimensional space. Each Balenciaga collection included a black dress that he sewed entirely himself. Many of them and were on display at the Bourdelle Museum, where the exhibition was held, with Antoine Bourdelle's sculptures as a backdrop.

At Balenciaga, black is so black that it strikes you like a punch. A thick Spanish black, almost velvet, a night without stars that makes ordinary black seem almost gray."
Unlike Vantablack, the blackest artificial substance known, Balenciaga's black does not suck you into a dark hole where all definition is lost. Instead, it uses a black color made up of many different tones, shades and textures. Fabrics that reflect, sift or absorb light expand the spectrum. And, with one color dominating, the smallest additions of other pigments are amplified. Delicate blush-pink ribbons and trims add lightness, while contrasting creamy white, pronounced but not screaming, is used as a tool to frame hemlines and collars…»

#balenciaga #fashionhistory #fashiondesigner

Timing:
00:00 Balenciaga Timeline History
2:17 Cristobal Balenciaga and his "Spanish Black"
9:05 How Balenciaga Was Inspired by the Old Masters?
11:27 How Balenciaga “Shaping Fashion” in 20th Century

#fashionhistory #balenciaga

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Music Credit: "For the Weary" Bonnie Grace

Videos Credites:

   • Shaping Fashion: Balenciaga's legacy  

   • How Balenciaga Was Inspired by the Ol...  

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