Cristobel Balenciaga's Baby Doll

In the twentieth century Cristobel Balenciaga was one of the most innovative and influential designers of the time. Balenciaga was born in a small fishing village in Guetaria, Spain on January 21st, 1895 from which he was influenced heavily by in his designs (Charleston, 2004). His mother was a seamstress whom he worked alongside for many years, this launched his career when he began through this working specifically for Marquesa de Casa Torres the most influential women in his village (Charleston, 2004). Marquesa became his first main client, she even sent him to Madrid for formal training in tailoring (Charleston, 2004). Balenciaga spent nineteen years in Spain before he moved to Paris due to the civil war of 1936 (Menkes, 2011). This was

“Waistlines were dropped, then raised, independent of the wearer’s natural waistline” (Charleston). You can see these waist lines being dropped especially in is ‘baby doll’ dress from 1957, this dress is known for its trapeze-shaped silhouette that had no waist line (Balenciaga 's Baby Doll Dress). He also created different forms with these lines for example, his balloon hems, semi-fit lines and especially the sack dress (V&A). The sack dress was seen as a “shock to the fashion world” since it completely eliminated the waistline in a time when Christian Dior’s hour-glass waist was the most popular look. (V&A). “the 'sack ' was initially met with hostility from both clients and press. ‘It 's hard to be sexy in a sack!’ cried the Daily Mirror” (V&A). Along with changing the shapes of dress lines Balenciaga wouldn’t create his designs to fit specifically to the thin tall models of the era but, he would create his designs to fit his clients (Charleston). This, with many of Balenciaga’s many other innovative designs also eventually became popular and is still influencing fashion