Balenciaga: Time For Evolution

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So guys, have you heard the news already? Nicolas Ghesquière, creative director of Balenciaga since 1997, is leaving the brand! That’s right! This Summer-Spring 2013 Collection is the French designer’s last collaboration with the label. That is like, what? 15 years of working together? Wow! I certainly didn’t see that coming, did you? Anyway, I found this out on Monday and I thought: “I really have to make a homage to Ghesquière’s art this Thursday”; so here we go.

Balenciaga’s last Ghesquière’s creations’ Top Three:

1) Look A

1) Look A. Like it? I do, very much. The perfect “V” collar for the top is wonderful at creating the illusion of a longer neck. The pattern is all right. It’s perfectly logical they’re combining a darker color at the top with a lighter one at the bottom; remember why? Darker colors tend to make us look slimmer, while lighter colors work the other way around. This way, the ribs and waist look tinny and the hips seem to be generous. The skirt is tightened at the waist and falls gently all the way down to approximately 10 cm. from the knees. Even thought the fabric isn’t playful or moves along, the lines it has modify with each step, making it look a lot more dynamic. Why does she look so tall? Not only because of the height of the skirt, the vertical lines help… a lot! And combined with that neckline… Poof! Killer combo!

2) Look B

2) Look B. Patterns all over. The piece on the upper side of the outfit has a very classical cut: round neckline, no sleeves and pleats at the front aligned with the ribs produce automatically a thinner torso. Love the graphics; quite Byzantine. The blouse is a little baggy at the waist, which is perfect because the skirt is tighter and in fashion as in life, you have to look for equilibrium always. Remember! Proportions. The lower part of the outfit is a different story. I really don’t understand how come they look so good together being so different! The garment sort of reminds me of petals of peonies, so chic and elegant! See how the edge is black? It tricks our minds into believing the skirt is shorter, but wait! She’s not showing more skin! So it makes us think she’s taller as well. Pretty clever, huh? And see all the pointy ends? Movement that facilitates catching eyes. Designers, those geniuses!

3) Look C

3) Look C. Pretty pretty dress. Wearing it is like being dressed in a cascade or never ending rain. It’s similar to the one before, the same edges, and the same style of collar and sleeveless. The black line under the hips accentuates them (which is very important because the cut is too straight and can make our bodies look a little too square), plus, the optical illusion is here again: short dress? Not! Light color equals enlargement, right? That’s why there are so many black vertical curvy lines (movement, again due to the cut of the dress) and that’s why there’s a big black patch in the middle of the chest. See the shape of the patch? It gets smaller at the end, and that’s because little ribcage generally is a sign of little waist. Again, insinuations here are very important because of the shape of the whole thing.

So what do you think? We’re going to miss Ghesquière intelligent compositions? Of course we will! But hey! That’s how fashion works, right? Constant changes, pure impermanence. This isn’t the end of Balenciaga; it’s just the end of an era inside of it. You know what they say: “every ending is just a new beginning”. I’m dying to know who is going to be Ghesquière’s successor! And well, it’s obvious that I’m more than looking forward for next year’s Fall-Winter Fashion Week to see the evolution!

Follow Balenciaga’s example, crazy diamonds! Change constantly because innovation is the only possible way to development and improvement. Shine all over and dream on like I know you do. Lotta Love.

P.S. Photos taken from Vogue UK. Want to see the whole collection? Take a look!

http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/spring-summer-2013/ready-to-wear/balenciaga