Balenciaga- NOW!

Enter-Nicolas Ghesquiere!

Enter- My slightly coffee buzzed Fashion Panic Attack! Seriously...He's my favorite designer!

This man not only transformed the way we relate to-what was considered at one time a lagging fashion dynasty- Balenciaga! He reinterpreted the classic silhouettes of the label, while infusing a much needed futuristic and pop art inspired panache.

Watch this Video for more on the man...

Nicolas Ghesquiere was only 25 when he was tapped to take over the Balenciaga label. And when Balenciaga was purchased by the Gucci Group in 2001, Ghesquiere said he would only stay in the company if he had complete artistic control of Balenciaga (since he was named the most sought after and most influential designer in 1999 & 2000, respectively...) Gucci agreed!

Here is a taste of this genius!

Please take note ladies!

 Perfect Use of Textile-It's a very chic wearable look.....

 This is a cocktail Dress with a bite- Note the feminine silhouette and the rigid structure. So Elegant!

 Futuristic inspiration pulled straight from star wars! I die for the Metal Leggings!

 Volume, Organza & Beauty I love the shoes!

Note the pants-Futuristic and feminine and the very 17th century french court Jacket! Look at the craftsmanship! So beautiful-truly!

This is what Sarah Mower (One of my favorite fashion journalists) said about my favorite collection Spring 2007 RTW for Style.com-

                                        "I was thinking of robotic articulation. Car parts. Droids. A boyish silhouette…" said Nicolas Ghesquière before he was dragged off to sort out a last-minute glitch. Moments later, his incredible futuristic vision was out of the gate: elongated black jackets with a double-layered shoulder line; cyber-goddess dresses jigsawed from patent leather; space-crew shirts with high white collars. Within seconds, the message in these refined, precision-judged looks was sending chills through an audience that five minutes earlier had been on the point of meltdown from heat. Was it worth the wait? Without a doubt. Like last season's Balenciaga retrospective triumph, this is a collection that will reset the fashion agenda, but in a different way.

Ghesquière said he'd been watching The Terminator, and 1982's Tron, the first blockbuster to combine computer animation with real actors, but that's by-the-by. What's special about these clothes is the way the designer brings his distinctively Parisian, perfectionist genius for cut and exceptional fabric into the consciousness of high-tech culture. It's not one monolithic look, easily captured in a comic-strip subtitle. Ghesquière's intense shows work through a half-dozen separate ideas linked in sequence. This time he moved from tailoring to shiny "nylon" silk-swathed dresses, to patent-edged shirtdresses, heavily-hewn sculpted leather and crocodile, metallic pantsuits, and finally to the coup de grâce: astonishing combinations of drapey silk-print tunics and gleaming bronze or gold metal robot-leggings, embroidered with futuristic paillettes.

If last season's vastly influential Balenciaga collection looked back, this one projects forward into a new era for the house Ghesquière is fast defining as his own. There is no sense of a lurch, because these ideas of space-age fantasy have always been on a slow burn in his work—along with the attenuated line and his deftness with technique. With this collection, he leapt ahead. It's true that thoughts of space-age robo-women have been circulating already this season, as well as reminders that the likes of Thierry Mugler and Jean Paul Gaultier went there in the eighties, but it takes a major talent like Nicolas Ghesquière to turn a literal reference into something that is light years from pastiche...

And there you have it! If you're sipping your coffee, as I am doing, while listening to the works of Edith Piaf-then we are kindred spirits. I can't help but wish that I had been there for these masterful shows! I'm sure if you're like me-You Agree!                                 

Balenciaga's Influence-Then

Can I just gush a little? I am so in love with the idea of an ideal form for clothing! And Balenciaga changed the entire silhouette concept for women! His lines became more linear and sleek, diverging from the hourglass shape popularized by Christian Dior's New Look. The fluidity of his silhouettes enabled him to manipulate the relationship between his clothing and women's bodies. In 1951, he totally transformed the silhouette, broadening the shoulders and removing the waist. In 1955, he designed the tunic dress, which later developed into the chemise dress of 1958. Other contributions in the postwar era included the spherical balloon jacket (1953), the high-waisted baby doll dress (1957), the cocoon coat (1957), the balloon skirt (1957), and the sack dress (1957). In 1959, his work culminated in the Empire line, with high-waisted dresses and coats cut like kimonos. His manipulation of the waist, in particular, contributed to "what is considered to be his most important contribution to the world of fashion: a new silhouette for women."- That's right guys, "The MOST important!" Let us not forget the fashion worlds founder...EVE! (She did give Adam the leaf!) A moment of silence for her...wait she ruined paradise for us-but I suppose it was in part in the name of fashion-we will let thatgo for now!

In the 1960s, Balenciaga was an innovator in his use of fabrics: he tended toward heavy fabrics, intricate embroidery, and bold materials. His trademarks included "collars that stood away from the collarbone to give a swanlike appearance" and shortened "bracelet" sleeves. His often spare, sculptural creations—including funnel-shape gowns of stiff duchess satin worn to acclaim by clients such as Pauline de Rothschild, Bunny Mellon, Marella Agnelli, Gloria Guinness and Mona von Bismarck—were considered masterworks of haute couture in the 1950s and 1960s. Jackie Kennedy famously upset John F. Kennedy for buying Balenciaga's expensive creations while he was President because he feared that the American public might think the purchases too lavish. That's right-THE first lady and queen of style-herself loved Balenciaga.

While this Blog is not really meant to be a Fashion history-per se-I think it is important to understand the basics. As I sit here sipping my BOLD (please not the bold because it is strong this morning) coffee and thinking of what Balenciaga endured during his time and the successes he had-I am left wondering "Where would we be without Balenciaga's genius?" The answer-probably would have been in WWIII already! I joke, of course, but I ask you never to diminish, or forget, the importance of this man! He is one of my heroes!

Balenciaga & Me!

This post will begin the journey into my mind. The blog is aptly named MyBrain-Fashion, Politics & Coffee because thats what I will be talking about! These are just some of the things that bounce within the walls of my skull and I feel as though the world should know what's going on up there-I suppose for no other purpose then personal vanity-unless there are like minded individuals who share my loves and simply want a kindred spirit-I'm your guy!


Let me begin at the beginning-novel I know. Balenciaga has been and will always be the height of fashion for me. It has become a fashion power house under the brilliant direction of Nicolas Ghesquière (I suggest you check him out-if you know what's good for you!) Over the next week or so, I will be discussing the brand and its influence on fashion-and yes, even history and politics. Let me start with this video from the 60's to get you salivating for more!