Radieva, Krasimira

CRISTOBAL BALENSIAGA – EXPLORING THE FORMATION OF WOMEN'S DRESSES

2023

APPLIED RESEARCHES IN TECHNICS, TECHNOLOGIES AND EDUCATION

Тракийски университет - Стара Загора

1314-8796 [issn]

Article

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Cristobal Balenciaga; Women's dresses; Formation; Shaping; Silhouette lines; Avant-garde; Minimalism; Simplicity; Design evolution; Fashion trends

This article analyzes the evolution of silhouette lines in the designs of the famous fashion designer Balenciaga. The study focuses on the period from 1937 to 1968 and identifies four distinct periods that reflect Balenciaga's creative development. Balenciaga's designs are characterized by a striving for minimalism and simplicity, achieved through elegant and simple forms. Balenciaga experimented with shapes and proportions, achieving complex avant-garde, sculpted forms by inserting additional elements such as drop panels, voluminous capes and collars, and sculpted backs. Imposed trends in Balenciaga fashion include replacing the train with an uneven hem, as well as the imposition of waistless silhouettes, such as straight and cocoon shapes. Balenciaga's designs also feature uneven positioning of the waistline and hemline, with the waistline often in its natural place at the front and falling at the back. Balenciaga's creative period is quite long, and the study highlights the designer's influence on fashion trends in skirt length and clothing shaping. The study also notes the challenges of analyzing and defining the complex forms of Balenciaga's designs, which often defy conventional principles of classification.