Evening dress

Cristobal Balenciaga|House of Balenciaga

summer 1961 · silk, cotton · Costume Institute

Cristobal Balenciaga was widely admired by his contemporaries for the sculptural quality of his work, which he achieved through expert use of his materials. In this gown, Balenciaga took inspiration from the tiered ruffles of Andalusian flamenco dress, one of many references to Spanish cultural heritage that appeared regularly in his collections. His interpretation introduces deep flounces of firm but supple silk gazar, which has sufficient body to provide shape without stiff interlinings and enough fluidity to move with the wearer. As Baroness Pauline de Rothschild described the experience of wearing a Balenciaga gown, “A woman walking would displace the air so that her skirt would billow out just so much, front, back and sides would round out each in turn, imperceptibly, like a sea-swell.” In this dress, each flounce has that subtle responsiveness to movement, falling perfectly into place at rest.

Artist

Cristobal Balenciaga|House of Balenciaga

Date

summer 1961

Medium

silk, cotton

Culture

French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Gift of Sandy Schreier, 2021