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nicolas ghesquiere
November 6, 2012

Why Balenciaga’s Designer Was So Influential

By Veronica Misako Gledhill

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Photo: Balenciaga

The news of Nicolas Ghesquière’s departure from Balenciaga yesterday wasn’t just bad news for devotees of his skinny silhouette and philosophic design sensibility, but also for any civilian or celebrity who wore his bags. And even more so, for those who feasted on the details at his  Paris runway show every year, where the clothes were obviously out there, but also an inspiring assemblage of absurdly strong shoulders, metallic bodysuits, and head-to-toe floral separates. Since 1997, he’s established himself as a mathematical constant within the fashion world: If other collections disappointed, Balenciaga delighted, even if you didn’t get the vibe of the collection right away; even if you weren’t quite sure who was wearing these clothes. Until, months later, you would recognize them on some impeccable stranger having a fabulous lunch.

Kristen Stewart and ultra-thin models aside, Ghesquière has always been ahead of the curve technically, pioneering new methods to obtain old-school results — like when he used neoprene’d silks to update architectural shapes Cristóbal Balenciaga was known for — and to create collections that felt elegant, yet fearless. When Cristóbal launched the house nearly a hundred years ago, he was considered among the first couturiers to reimagine fashion as architecture for the body; he inspired fashion obsessives with his iconic structured shapes that became the haute couture look of the fifties and sixties. But it’s Ghesquière who has become a visionary designer by taking an old brand and maintaining the house’s heritage while propelling its futuristic look — both aesthetically with its techno-silhouettes and advanced technical details, and commercially with its steady rise in Asia.

We’ve taken a look back at Ghesquière’s hits over the past decade, swooning over quite a few in the process, and are now sharing our favorite looks and ads over the years. His best shows came almost squarely in the middle of last decade, where standouts included the hand-pieced lace collars and cuffs from his spring 2006 collection, the sculptural wool ruffles and jacquard cape of fall 2006, and the molded, floral silk-neoprene shoulders of spring 2008. Zoom in to see those details, and more, all before these clothes end up in a museum, where they belong.

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1 / 54 Photos
Fall Winter 1998 Colette Pechekhonova reclines in a severe clerical look from the Winter 1998 collection.
Spring 1998 
Fall Winter 2004-05 Isabeli Fontana, Valentina Zeliaeva, Gemma Ward and Liya Kebede model the assymetrically draped dresses and cut out details o... Fall Winter 2004-05 Isabeli Fontana, Valentina Zeliaeva, Gemma Ward and Liya Kebede model the assymetrically draped dresses and cut out details of the Winter 2004-05 collection. Photo: Balenciaga
Fall Winter 2004-05 Isabeli Fontana, Liya Kebede, Gemma Ward, and Valentina Zeliaeva model the shearling motorcycle jackets and voluminous tulip ... Fall Winter 2004-05 Isabeli Fontana, Liya Kebede, Gemma Ward, and Valentina Zeliaeva model the shearling motorcycle jackets and voluminous tulip skirted silhouettes of the Winter 2004-05 collection. Photo: Balenciaga
Spring 2005 Gisele Bündchen models the tailored military look of Spring 2005. Photo: Balenciaga
Winter 2005-06 Freja Beha Erichsen demonstrates the crisp but effortless mod feel of the Winter 2005-06 collection. Photo: Balenciaga
Winter 2005-06  Freja Beha Erichsen demonstrates the crisp but effortless mod feel of the Winter 2005-06 collection. Photo: Balenciaga
Spring 2006 Hana Soukupova, Lily Donaldson, Raquel Zimmerman, Gemma Ward, Caroline Trentini, Erin Wasson,  and  Iselin Steiro make up t... Spring 2006 Hana Soukupova, Lily Donaldson, Raquel Zimmerman, Gemma Ward, Caroline Trentini, Erin Wasson,  and  Iselin Steiro make up the lace gang, demonstraiting how 18th century details, crisp organza and silk collide with the rock n' roll vibe of the Spring 2006 collection. Photo: Balenciaga
Spring 2006 Marta, Lisa Cant, Freja Beha Erichsen, Tasha Tilberg, and Hilary Rhoda Photo: Balenciaga
Winter 2006-07 Coco Rocha wears a molded jacquard tulip dress that looks alien and sculptural all at once. Photo: Balenciaga
Winter 2006-07 Coco Rocha models the famous jacquard cloche cape of the Winter 2006-07 collection. Photo: Balenciaga
Spring 2007  Photo: Chris Moore/Catwalking/catwalking.com
Spring 2007  Photo: Chris Moore/Catwalking/catwalking.com
Winter 2007-08  Photo: Chris Moore/Catwalking/CATWALKING.COM
Winter 2007-08  Photo: Chris Moore/Catwalking/CATWALKING.COM
Winter 2007-08  Photo: Chris Moore/Catwalking/CATWALKING.COM
Jennifer Connelly  Photo: Balenciaga
Spring 2008 
Spring 2008 
Spring 2008 
Spring 2008 
Spring 2008 Charlotte Gainsbourgh Photo: Balenciaga
Winter 2008-09 
Winter 2008-09 
Winter 2008-09 
Winter 2008-09 
Spring 2009  Photo: Balenciaga
Spring 2009  Photo: Chris Moore/Catwalking/2008 Catwalking
Spring 2009  Photo: Chris Moore/Catwalking/2008 Catwalking
Spring 2009  Photo: Chris Moore/Catwalking/2008 Catwalking
Winter 2009-10 Jennifer Connelly Photo: Balenciaga
Winter 2009-10 
Winter 2009-10 
Spring 2010
Winter 2010-11 
Winter 2010-11 
Winter 2010-11 
Spring 2011 
Spring 2011 
Spring 2011 
Winter 2011-12  Photo: Balenciaga
Winter 2011-12 
Winter 2011-12 
Spring 2012  Photo: Balenciaga
Spring 2012 
Spring 2012 
Spring 2012 
Spring 2012  Photo: Balenciaga
Winter 2012-13  Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
Winter 2012-13  Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Alessandro Lucioni
Spring 2013  Photo: Imaxtree
Spring 2013  Photo: Imaxtree
Spring 2013  Photo: Imaxtree
Spring 2013  Photo: Imaxtree
1 / 54

Tags:

  • balenciaga
  • nicolas ghesquiere
  • ppr
  • retrospective
  • fashion
  • runway
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