Cristobal Balenciaga - ``The king is dead``

Born in 1895. in Spain, Cristobal Balenciaga was one of the most influential designers of the 20.century.Introducing extraordinary innovations we can say that his designes were a work of art. He worked for the Spanish royalty.

"The master of us all" - Christian Dior

 "The only couturier in the truest sense of the word,the others are simply fashion designers". - CocoChanel

His often spare, sculptural creations were considered masterworks of haute couture in the 1950s and 1960s

                                                   Balenciaga was a master in tailoring.

``A couturier must be an architect for design, a sculptor for shape, a painter for color, a musician for harmony, and a philosopher for temperance.`` Cristobal Balenciaga

                                                                       Yoki coat

``A woman has no need to be perfect or even beautiful to wear my dresses. The dress will do all that for her.``- Cristobal Balenciaga

 He created garments of fluidity and grace.

 In August 1937, Balenciaga staged his first runway show ,showing a collection that was heavily influenced by the Spanish Renaissance.

 He introduced the balloon jacket, an elegant sphere.

During World War 2, he created the Square Coat, which saw women’s silhouettes boxed out

Cristobal Balenciaga Museum in Spain

Cristobal Balenciaga at the MET museum

1951.

                                                                1955.

                                                                        1960.

                                                                            1965.

 He is not associated with a signature outfit, nor with a pivotal moment, nor a cultural phenomenon. Yet, his clothes struck a note of simplicity and he reshaped women's silhouette in the 1950s.

He gave only one full interview in his life. He was rarely seen .Balenciaga did not appear at the openings of his collections.

Hubert de Givenchy - for Audrey Hepbern

Huber de Givenchy was born in 1927 in France. He founded The House of Givenchy in 1952. At the age of 25, he was the youngest designer of the progressive Paris fashion scene. His first collections were characterized by the use of rather cheap fabrics. His idol was Cristóbal Balenciaga.

Audrey Hepburn and Hubert de Givenchy met in their mid-20s, during the shoot of Sabrina,and their friendship and professional partnership spanned 40 years.

“His are the only clothes in which I am myself. He is far more than a couturier, he is a creator of personality.”-his muse, Audrey Hepburn

1957 was  the year in which Givenchy launched his first perfume, L'interdit. Promoted by Hepburn. |It is the first time the world had seen an actress as the face of a perfume.

Breakfast At Tiffany’s, 1961

In 2006, the dress sold for £467,200 at a Christie’s auction in London, the highest price ever paid for a cinema costume.

It was a platonic love affair, Givenchy and Hepburn worked as a lifelong team. He went on to design the wardrobe for the rest of her film career.Hewon an Oscar for his designs for her films.

 Givenchy sold his label in 1988, and retired seven years later.

He still lives in n a country estate Le Jonchet just outside of Paris.

Coco Chanel - all kinds of black

She was a French fashion designer born 1883. She is known liberating women from the constraints of the corseted silhouette and popularizing a sporty, casual chic as the feminine standard of style in postwar years.

Chanel was raised in an orphanage and taught to sew. She had a brief career as a singer before opening her first clothes shop in 1910

The Chanel couture was a business enterprise, by 1935. employing 4,000 people

Chanel was convinced that women would ultimately rebel against the aesthetic favored by the male couturiers, what she called "illogical" design: the "waist cinchers, padded bras, heavy skirts, and stiffened jackets.

 "The woman who hasn't at least one Chanel is hopelessly out of fashion``-, Harper's Bazaar

                                          little boy look-simple yet chic design, uniform for women of taste

                 Coco Chanel created timeless designs that are still popular today

                           THE Little black dress - she vowed that she would dress all women in black.
                                               A 1920s revolutionary design.

.Chanel designed the clothing worn on screen by Gloria Swanson, in Tonight or Never (1931), and for Ina Claire in The Greeks Had a Word for Them (1932).

Chanel at the Metropolitem museum of art

                                       The Chanel Suit- was built for comfort and practicality. 

                                                  Today is most famous women type of suit

A style icon known for her simple yet sophisticated outfits. Always with great assesories.

Chanel was the mistress of some of the most influential men of her time, but she never married.In 1969, Chanel’s fascinating life story became the basis for the Broadway musical Coco, starring Katharine Hepburn as the legendary designer.  Chanel died on January 10, 1971.

Christian Dior - ``Corolle``

The botanical term corolla or circlet of flower petals.

 "I have designed flower women." -C.Dior

C.Dior was born in France in 1905. and died from a heart attack in 1957. He was a founder of Dior house. After studying political science, he served in the military. His design career did not begin until 1935, when he returned to Paris and began selling sketches.  In 1946he opened his own house.

1950`s

  In February 1947, Christian Dior introduced the first major postwar collection, called the "Carolle Line" or ``figure 8``.

 But soon called ``New Look``by American journalists.

  Curvy shape and line.Acollection of wasp-waisted and hip-padded designs.

 The desired look was a womanly hourglass figure.

  Dior's lavish use of material was a shocking stroke. His style used yards and yards of fabric.

Full skirted New Look,looked so feminine.

During the 1950s Dior showed his H, A, and Y lines. 

extraordinary neckline exposing an expanse of shoulder

``Cherie``