SAVOIR-FAIRE
Balenciaga’s 52nd Couture Collection is a tribute to the pursuit of perfection—a concept that is in truth impossible, and yet always on the mind of the couturier. Handmade pieces interpret original Cristóbal Balenciaga designs and invent silhouettes, fusing classical techniques with cutting-edge advancements to connect the past and the present. The collection demonstrates a new reality, within which perfection will now only be neared if technology is included as an addition to the most important factor in dressmaking: the human component.
The Balenciaga Couture trompe l’oeil concept is a modern way of acknowledging traditional materials. Panels of linen canvas or Japanese denim woven on antique looms are hand-painted and assembled into garments, such as a padded coat made to look like fur or trousers proffered as leather jeans. Houndstooth and python textures are replicated, along with buttons and lapels on blazers. Beneath these applications, the garments are streamlined in build. All dimension is added through oil paint brushstrokes, which can take up to 280 hours to apply.
