My Hulu account is heavily used for my love of 30 Rock, Only Murders in the Building, and The Bear. And now that The Bear has sadly retired (what great series that was), I have been digging deeper into their media collection for new material, and found a documentary named Cristóbal Balenciaga about the couturier’s life. The fashion nerd in me was all in since I have a BIG soft spot for fashion history. It beautifully captures Cristóbal’s story of how he built the Balenciaga haute couture house. Within two days I finished the six-part series, with plans to re-watch it.
Cristóbal Balenciaga was born in a small, Basque fishing village in Spain in 1895. He sewed alongside his mother, who was a seamstress, and eventually started making gowns for noblewomen when he was only a teenager. With his passion and strong work ethic for tailoring, he opened a few of his own boutiques in Spain, but moved to Paris in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War with his partner Władzio and a portion of his seamstress team. Cristóbal’s skill earned him prominence alongside Parisian haute-couture houses, including Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli and Madeleine Vionnet, and eventually Christian Dior and Hubert de Givenchy. Though it took a couple of collections to refine his style for Parisian customers, his extraordinary tailoring techniques always remained consistent; even Coco herself praised Cristóbal, considering him as the last true dressmaker.
And personally, his ‘one seam coat’ was a tremendous inspiration to me as a fashion student.
Because Cristóbal lived such a private life, there haven’t been very many pictures, videos or articles about him since he hardly did any interviews; he very much lived behind the curtain of his fashion shows and gave his entire being to the clothing he created. I learned so much about the nuances of his life, but I’d like to share a few facets of this documentary that really captured my heart.
A running theme in his life was how he was able to transform loss into a rebirth; from his pain, he was able to strengthen his own vision and voice. Cristóbal in his own way channeled his grief into his collections, creating the most beautiful forms of expression.
I cried when they showed the collection which came from Cristóbal’s second moment of grief (I won’t give any spoilers). It took my breath away. These iconic looks have been shown numerous times in fashion history books, but never with context of what it meant for him to create the garment just so. But he translated the fabric into his language so eloquently.
Forgive me for relating his story to my own, but here goes... Floruisse has stayed with me through the process of finding myself as a woman. It started in joy and exuberance; it’s challenge and focus steered me to my own mirror of sorrows; I had ‘her’ through my sorrows; and now I find myself in the regeneration process of what was worn through. What I lost in my pain, I am gaining today in bounty. Cristóbal’s technique and collections resonate so much with me, and maybe it was because I felt his heart in it… he was finding his way out through his work. And the way out, I’m finding, is the safest place to be.
I mentioned that creating Floruisse has helped me find myself as a woman, and I’ll clarify that with you. Some life experiences had steered me to disconnect from my own body. Hiding felt very safe to me, especially disregarding my femininity so that I didn’t have to experience my childhood again. By designing lingerie for a body that wants to feel feminine, I began unraveling my own stories, which has been healing me. This is why seeing Cristóbal work through his pain resonated so much with me.
Another theme that captured my heart was that Cristóbal made sure that his customers felt the freedom of being in their body; his tailoring had changed the way his customers saw themselves in the mirror. Because Cristóbal was hiding in his own life, I feel he had a hard time expressing it for himself. His designs captured the artistry in himself that he often did not show to the world.
People who wear Floruisse are both a muse for the designs, and an inspiration to my life’s blueprint; they are an aspirational part of myself. Their freedom of expression, self-love and acceptance of the feminine divine is something I am learning for myself, and so the more examples I see the more I feel it within me. You all are showing me the way, and I thank you. I hope Cristóbal, and any other designer or artist has felt this too. It’s truly a bit of magic, and it energizes me.
The Balenciaga house today has evolved from what Cristóbal created, although his name and legacy remain at its foundation. As I write this, Pierpaolo Piccioli has been appointed as the new designer of the house, with the experience at heritage brands Valentino and Fendi.
These thoughts were written with the hope of sharing with you Cristóbal’s story and history, and how we can all find a piece of him in ourselves. The origin of his brand was rooted in excellence and purity; he kept true to his values and ideals no matter how much modernity had changed his surroundings. Sometimes it was to an extent we may not understand, but it was because he believed in his work so much. After watching the series, he’s been on my mind and an extra inspiration for me as I continue my work at Floruisse. Gracias, Señor Balenciaga.
Love, Margaret
