Art & Exhibitions
See Images From the Next Fashion Show Blockbuster: Balenciaga at the V&A
The multimedia exhibition will feature over 100 garments by the visionary designer.
Amah-Rose Abrams
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This summer, London’s Victoria & Albert Museum will surely have another blockbuster on its hands. Following the huge success of the exhibitions “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty,” “David Bowie Is,” and “Botticelli Reimagined,” the exhibition “Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion” will open to the public on May 27, 2017.
The show will gather over 100 garments and 20 hats by Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga, of whom Christian Dior said: “Haute Couture is like an orchestra whose conductor is Balenciaga. We other couturiers are the musicians and we follow the direction he gives.”
In the 1950s, at a time when most designers were following the New Look fashion, Balenciaga was looking to the future, pushing boundaries, and experimenting with shapes in ways which can still be seen on the catwalks of today.
“Cristóbal Balenciaga was one of the most influential fashion designers of the 20th century,” Cassie Davies-Strodder, the exhibition curator, said in a statement.
“Revered by his contemporaries, including Coco Chanel and Hubert de Givenchy, his exquisite craftsmanship, pioneering use of fabric and innovative cutting set the tone for the modernity of the late 20th century fashion.”
The exhibition will include items from the V&A’s own collection, as well as a collaboration with x-ray artist Nick Veasey that will reveal the hidden genius of the legendary designer.
The museum is also collaborating with students from the London College of Fashion in an animation project that explores the designer’s pattern cutting techniques and use of fabric, through which he created the unique shapes of his more minimalist designs.
“His lasting impact on fashion will be explored through the work of those who trained with him and through recent garments by designers including Molly Goddard, Demna Gvasalia, and J.W. Anderson, who reflect the legacy of his vision today,” said Davies-Strodder.
“Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion” will be on view at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, from May 27, 2017 – February 18, 2018.
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