BALENCIAGA
BALENCIAGA
穿上我设计的衣服之后， 女性不需要太 会实现这一切。 克里斯托瓦尔·巴伦 当波烈20世纪30年代退出高定时尚圈之际， 要更多像我一样解放女性天性的设计师，
他写到：时装界需 他们会设身处地为女
性着想， 从她们的立场出发进行设计， 也会毫不动摇地追逐自 己的设计梦想。 总有一天， 在一群吹嘘谄媚的人当中他会功成 名就，接着在随后的好多年，
他会引领时装潮流，成为众多后
起之秀竞相模仿的对象。而巴伦夏加完美地展示了这一预言如 何实现的过程。
1936年，
西班牙内战爆发，克里斯托瓦尔·巴伦夏加被迫关闭
他的三家高定时装店， 远走他乡。1937年， 他到达巴黎， 正是 由于来自圣塞巴斯蒂安难民朋友的慷慨解囊，
他得以重新在乔
治五世大道开设自己的高定时装店，并且在当年八月发布了自 己的第一个巴黎高定系列。此系列展示出了他独特的设计天赋 及风格， 名声大噪， 并保证了他在其设计生涯中前二十年的名 声及辉煌。1939年2月， 每日快报发表了关于这个为时尚界带去 巨大的变革“年轻西班牙人”的传奇故事， 是如何为了穿上他设计的系列而努力奋斗，
讲述了买手以及媒体 对整个世界而言，
太完美或是过分美丽， 衣服 伦夏加 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
When Poiret made his exit from the world of couture in the 1930s, he wrote:” Fashion needs a new master to set women free as I did in my day, someone who will give her what most becomes her and who will pursue his ideal without letting himself be swayed. He will become famous and, amid general adulation, will attract disciples and imitators for years to come.”To whom could these prophetic lines better apply than to Balenciaga?
Following the outbreak of civil war in Spain in 1936, Cristobal Balenciaga was forced to close his three couture houses and leave his native country. He arrived in Paris in 1937 and there, thanks to the generosity of friends from San Sebastian who were fellow refugees, he was able very soon afterwards to open his own couture house on the Avenue George V and to present his first Paris collection in August of that year. There was instant recognition of the talent and style that had ensured his reputation in the previous twenty years. In February 1939, the Daily Express ran a story about the “young Spaniard” who was revolutionizing fashion, describing how buyer and press literally fought to get into his collection, for all the world as if it were a football match.
他设计的系列就如同足球比赛一样，令人激动不已。 同时， 一 个时尚广播节目通过Radio 37评价他的设计极其迷人， 并挑选 出了公主裙，极具时代代表性的连衫裙，色彩鲜艳极具影响力 的面料以及经典的黑白配色教会晚礼服。“时尚邮件”给出了他们 的定论：除了简约性之外，每条裙子都是高定界的巨作，仔细 凑近看， 你会发现剪裁精细，独具时尚创造力， 同时， 你也 会发现他设计的裙子没有一件是低于6000法郎的。
大街小巷都
在谈论他设计的方形外套， 袖子以单片剪裁呈现，以黑色和棕 色点缀。
在战争年代， 巴伦夏加声名鹊起，尽管他不得不暂时将高定服 装店关闭几个月，然后在重建受到征用影响时再开业，但他的 服装生意仍旧飞速发展。战争期间， 三家西班牙公司仍旧照常 开业。据一家西班牙报社报导， 全世界各地的女性打破国界限 制争相购买他的设计， 这一行为也是战时走私活动的一部分。
受西班牙文艺复兴的影响，巴伦夏加从文艺复兴中汲取灵感， 并在大使剧院为爱丽丝·科恰设计了大量的奢华服饰，可在没 有暖气的公寓室内穿着的成衣，并以白色兔毛做内衬（由于貂 皮的缺乏）。1947年，迪奥做了其进军国际市场的首次尝试， 但无论是他的“新风采”系列又或是他的名字，跟巴伦夏加相比 都黯淡无光， 因为巴伦夏加早已受到客户， 买手以及媒体的追 捧。而这足够让我们回想起卡麦尔·斯诺在《时尚芭莎》里发 表的热情洋溢的文章， 她对巴伦夏加赞赏有加， 他的作品看似 简单，但实际上却难以模仿，因为其设计结构严密，工艺精湛 无法超越。 设计师克里斯汀·迪奥本身对巴伦夏加也有着极高 的敬意，他称其为“设计巨子”。著名的时尚编年史家贝蒂娜·巴 拉德， 则用一则故事表达了其真挚的钦佩，她还记得当她与迪
At the same period, a fashion programme broadcast on Radio 37 judged the collection enchanting, singling out the Infanta dresses and period-style frocks, the impact of fabrics in strong colors, and the ecclesiastical blacks and whites for evening. The Courrier de la Mode delivered its verdict:’ Beneath its apparent simplicity, each of these little dresses is a masterpiece of haute couture. Examine them closely, and you will discover the subtlety and originality of the cut, and you will conclude there is not a dress to be had at Balenciaga for under 6.000 francs.’ Everyone was talking about his famous square coat, in which the sleeve was cut in one piece with the yoke, and his combinations of black and brown.
Balenciaga’s reputation soared during the war years and the business was a runway success, and that in spite of the fact that he had to close down for a period of several months, reopening only when the building was threatened with a requisition order. The three Spanish-based businesses continued to trade throughout the war.’Women from all over the world cross frontiers to buy his creations, which are the object of an amazing trade in contraband,’ related one Spanish newspaper.
This was the period of the sumptuous designs inspired by the Spanish Renaissance that Balenciaga created for Alice Cocea at the Theater des Ambassadeurs, and of easy-to-wear indoor clothes for unheated apartments, lined-given the lack of ermine-with white rabbit fur. In 1947, Dior made his triumphal entrance n the international fashion scene, but neither the introduction of his New Look nor the luster of his name could dim the popularity and fame of Balenciaga, solidly established by then with clients, buyers and press alike. It is enough to recall the enthusiastic articles written by Carmel Snow in Harper’s Bazaar, in which she sang the praises of
奥一起去旧金山参加盛大集会时，一个女装设计师完美被她身 穿的西装征服了， 她说道，只有巴伦夏加才能设计出如此完美 的衣服。
1948年，巴伦夏加遭遇了令人心碎的丧亲之痛，
这使他痛不欲
生， 一度准备歇业， 但迪奥苦苦哀求， 所以他并未停止。巴 伦夏加于50年代初期发布了其第一件合身西装，第一件泡泡袖 连衣裙, 第一件农民衫以及水手罩衫， 以束腰， 布袋装，粗花 呢等各式细节装饰， 以及其独门花边带设计， 同时也应用到吊 带背心以及束腰外衣设计当中。领口及手腕的裸露设计是为了 突出精致珠宝以及独特的手势。巴伦夏加设计的廓形也引领了 新的潮流， 它从本质上阐释了身体跟服装之间的不同关系， 流 畅的线条以及静态的字母装饰以优雅迷人的古典主义风格为基 础，从实际生活出发，完美地将优雅和舒适融为一体。通过他 独特惊人的剪裁， 设计师（ 令客户极为愉悦）可根据不同的身 形， 更正一些不完美的细节设计。他的好友休伯特·德·纪梵 希将之成为“巴伦夏加奇迹”。
当你白天身着巴伦夏加的简约礼服穿梭在汹涌的人群中时，只 有他才能窥见精细的剪裁，面料的质量， 因为它们都被贴上了“ 巴伦夏加风格”的标签。 夜晚，一件精致剪裁的巴伦夏加礼服长 裙足以让你在人群中脱颖而出， 因为它醒目大胆的原创设计， 以及它运用的颜色及面料散发出的迷人光泽， 同时，穿着它的 女性高贵优雅， 就好像无法接近的精致艺术品。
1958年，
约翰·弗莱查尔德在“女装日报”发表了一篇文章以描
述他的影响， 如果巴伦夏加献身于时尚， 那么一定会有无数的 模仿者， 如果世界上最富有的人准备花高价购买他的设计， 那
Balenciaga’s seeming simplicity, so impossible to imitate, based as it was in rigorous construction and a mastery execution previously unsurpassed. Christian Dior himself expressed great respect for Balenciaga, whom he liked to call ‘the master of us all’. Bettina Ballard, another great chronicler of fashion, tells a story that illustrates the sincerity of his admiration. She remembers being with Dior at a function in San Francisco and the couturier, dazzled by her suit, saying ‘only Balenciaga would be capable of producing such perfection.’
In 1948, devastated by a recent bereavement, the master was ready to call a halt to his work and it was Christian Dior himself who begged him not to close his doors. In the early fifties, Balenciaga launched his first semi-fitted suit, the balloon dress, the peasant shirt and the sailor smock. These were followed by the tunic, the sack dress, tweeds in all their manifestations, and lace stripped of its mystique and used for camisoles and tunics. He left neck and wrists exposed in order to emphasize jewellery and hand gestures. The silhouette created by Balenciaga set a new trend. It expressed a radically different relationship between body and garment, the fluid lines of the letter reposing always on a fundamental classicism from which he never deviated throughout his life, combining elegance and comfort in a perfect harmony of proportions. Through the magic of his cutting, the designer could even permit himself( to the great delight of his clients) to correct any slight imperfections in the human figure beneath…the ‘Balenciaga miracle’, as it was to be dubbed by his great friend Hubert de Givenchy.
For day, a Balenciaga of classic simplicity could pass unnoticed in a crowd. Only an initiate would see the subtle cut and quality of fabric that characterized the Balenciaga style. For evening, however, a Balenciaga gown
么美国最高端的品牌也会随后推出同款。巴伦夏加对大西洋彼 岸的设计工艺极为好奇，
并且也听闻过许多有关的消息，
所
以他打算亲自去一探究竟。但在他参观过新泽西的一家工厂之 后， 他发现自己设计的西服无法用机器做出来， 人们常说， 他 可以建立一个像迪奥一样的商业帝国， 但他并未听从这些占据 巨大市场的“甜言蜜语”，而是心满意足地继续做着设计极致奢华 而又优雅大方衣服的设计师，同时也继续维护着他的名声。 他 个性独立，继续经营着自己的香水生意， 他也不想因为加入巴 黎高级时装工会而受到束缚。由于富裕的客户花高价购买他的 设计，巴伦夏加的高定店可以拒绝订单， 尽管雇佣的职员比较 好， 但营业额仍然比得上其他大型的时装商店。
巴伦夏加亲近的同事回忆道，他是一个不知疲倦的人， 他一天 可以指导120件衣服， 并且他还会同时注意到小细节， 也会自己 动手做礼服或是帽子。他的设计师朋友称他为“灵活敏捷之手”， 他在马德里工作室制衣的情景令朋友印象深刻：巴伦夏加像外 科医生一一样， 身旁站了一群助手，他无声地挥舞着剪刀以及 针线，将棉质印花布制成了一件优雅迷人的精致衣服。他严格 要求自己，他会重缝好几次直至呈现无可挑剔的完美设计，他 也会毫不犹豫地花上几个小时剪裁或是完善袖子上的细节以确 保它们的整齐性， 又或是保证领子的接缝不外露。在模型送去 客户手里之前， 他会仔细检查， 有时还会将其带回来，令其销 售员倍感绝望。早晨，公司职员经常在工作室的桌子上发现他 用西班牙语写的字条， 上面是他在晚上灵感来源时写下的对模 型的改进措施。忠实的同事费尔南多·马丁内斯回忆道“巴伦夏 加的选择以及决定对时尚市场的财政起了巨大影响。”
would stand out by virtue of its boldness and originality and the luster of its color and materials, making the woman who wore it as aloof and inaccessible as a work of art.
In 1958, John Fairchild wrote an article in Women’s Wear Daily describing the extent of his influence: if Balenciaga dictated fashion to the point that other designers copied him, and if the world’s richest women were prepared to pay top prices for his clothes, then the upper end of American fashion had to follow suit. Balenciaga, for his part, was curious to see the transatlantic technology about which he had heard so much and he decided to go and see for himself. But on a visit to ready-to-wear factory in New Jersey he realized that his suits could not be made on machines. It has often been said that Balenciaga could have built a commercial empire as big as Dior’s but, mindful of his image, he was content to ignore the blandishments of a mass market and concentrate instead of maintaining his reputation as a couturier of the utmost luxury and elegance. Fiercely independent, he retained control of his perfume business and even preferred not to have his hands tied by joining the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Thanks to an extremely wealthy private clientele and very high prices, the House of Balenciaga alone could afford to turn down orders; it had a turnover as big as the other fashion houses even thought it employed fewer people.
The designers’ closet colleagues recall a tireless man who could supervise as many as one hundred and twenty fittings in a single day, and yet who would keep an eye on the tiniest details of the collection and who could make a dress or hat with his own hands.’ Hands of an extraordinary agility’, says a friend and fellow designer, remembering a fitting in a Madrid atelier: ‘ The master was like a surgeon surrounded by his team of assistants, operating in total
他挑选面料的眼光独特敏锐，有些面料就像为他量身定做的一 样，
这也为他赢得了来自供货商的尊重。
他喜欢大胆前卫的
材料， 厚重织物， 新型面料，以及吸引全场目光的浮雕，无过 多背景修饰的蕾丝， 以及灵感源于西班牙的华丽刺绣。他的秘 书告诉我们， 他用不同的样品自己配色， 有时候还在工作室的 地板上捡起一些线头。在60年代，他因完美的技艺以及简约的 廓形设计而蜚声于世。精细的技艺，
不同的抛光技术以及不
同材料的压铁是区分不同模特的关键， 同时，他还因用斜裁面 料设计棉麻或是绉织物而名声大振。美国媒体对他称赞有加， 将他的剪裁称为凯旋，并称赞他设计的系列优雅无比，精致奢 华，
迷人大方。他对时尚造成的影响也达到了前所未有的高
度，尽管他是一个优秀的古董收藏家，但现实生活中， 他就是 为设计而生。他献身于时装艺术， 几乎从公众视野消失，完全 投入到时装设计当中。他有时候也会焦急地在窗帘后面徘徊， 看着这一切，而他忠实的同事们与他密切关联，有时也会在其 中一个工作室遇到他，显而易见地， 他因焦虑以及缺觉而皮肤 干燥，黯淡无光，并且他再也不会因为拆开一个模型而欢呼雀 跃。库雷热，伊曼纽尔·温加罗， 弗雷德里克·卡斯泰都曾师 从于他，学习服装技艺，并视他为一个非凡的人且给予极大的 尊敬。他们回忆道当时的工作室弥漫着独特的氛围， 因为其近 乎修道院式的平静及纪律。沙龙里面的模特禁止微笑，当她们 列队时，必须保持绝对的安静，头高高昂起，直直地盯着某一 处， 腰部和臀部都要向前，就像老师教的那样。而巴伦夏加的 特点则是一直保持善心及礼貌。
silence, wielding scissors and pins with fascinating assurance, transforming the toile into a wonderfully balanced and elegant garment.’ Immensely demanding, he would have finished designs unpicked and restitched several times until they were perfect, and would not hesitate to spend hours of his own time on the cut and setting-in of a sleeve in order to make it sit exactly right, or on ensuring that the seams of a collar were invisible. He personally checked models before they went out to clients, sometimes holding them back, to the great despair of his saleswomen. In the morning, on the atelier tables, staff would often find little notes in Spanish left by Monsieur Balenciaga, these being ideas or changes of mind that had come to him during the night about particular models. His loyal colleague Fernando Martinez recalls that’ His choices and his decisions had an enormous influence on the finances of the fashion market.’
His discerning eye for fabrics, some of which were made specially for him, won Balenciaga the respect of his suppliers. He liked bold materials, heavy cloths, new fabrics, reliefs that caught the light, the transparency of lace set again a variety of backgrounds, and ornate embroideries, often of Spanish inspiration. He matched his own colors using minute samples, sometimes, his secretary tells us, no more than a couple of threads picked up off the workroom floor. In the sixties, he was famous for his immaculate technique and restrained purity of form. All that distinguished the different models were a few subtle touches here and there and the different finishes and weights of materials; he was particularly known for his masterly use of bias-cut fabric in ensembles of linen or crepe. The American press was voluble in its praise of his genius, describing his cutting as a triumph and extolling the elegance of his collections, their overwhelming sense of luxury and beauty. His influence on fashion was then at its height. Although a keen collector of antiques, in reality
他从不出席客户的招待会， 但是鲜有的记录记载， 他受到大家 的尊敬， 并且还和其中的一些人成为了亲密无间的好朋友。宝 琳·德·罗斯柴尔德谈论到巴伦夏加的能力足以施加影响使他 的男装装扮看起来更加女性化。他的长期好友格洛丽亚·吉尼 斯赋予了其礼服优雅而又流畅的迷人吸引力。而温莎公爵夫人 则演绎了其大方知性魅力。其他的狂热仰慕者如比德尔太太， 她经常会一天预定8件礼服（这导致了工作室的40个职员每个人 都很忙）。伯爵夫人蒙纳·俾斯麦有着举世闻名的绝世美貌， 且无比优雅，当她听说巴伦夏加要关闭自己的高定作坊时，她 把自己锁在室内2天。虽然他还是独居，但他有不少朋友，麦迪 莲·维安勒，可可·香奈儿以及马丁·布斯凯在他逝世前几年 都定期拜访他。关于设计的问题，他则会回到西班牙和几个老 朋友碰面，有时，他也会吐露自己的心声， 讲述自己的精疲力 竭， 以及自己肩上负担的工作和责任。他曾经跟画家米罗聊天 时提到， 你是非常幸运的， 如果你想创作出举世惊人的巨著， 你可以完全依靠你自己，但是我需要500个人帮忙， 并且他对自 己的制作工艺一直侃侃而谈。
1968年，法国社会大动乱，而当时，
也恰逢这位设计大师发布
其最后一个系列。经历了社会动乱以及生活的重大变故之后， 巴伦夏加意识到奢华优雅高定设计的时代已经过去了。 怀着深 深的歉意，他关闭了自己的高定设计工作室， 同时也使其职员 陷入混乱当中。山姆怀特，在“标准晚报”中写到，巴伦夏加决定 退出时尚界， 因为时尚永不可能相同。作为隐秘的恐怖宣传分 子，记者，摄影师，社会评论家，山姆·怀特一生都笼罩了神 秘面纱，但很矛盾的是， 这又是他最好的宣传。
he lived only for his work. Devoted to the art of couture, he would virtually disappear from view the ,moment it was time for the collection itself. He might be glimpsed hovering anxiously behind a curtain watching the proceedings, and his faithful colleagues, who were deeply attached to him, would sometimes come upon him afterwards in one of the ateliers, absolutely drained by worry and lack of sleep, unpicking a model he was no longer happy with. Courreges, Emanuel Ungaro and Frederic Castet all learned their craft from him and never ceased to revere him as an exceptional man; they recalled the distinctive atmosphere of almost monastic calm and discipline that prevailed throughout the premises. In the salons, the models were forbidden to smile and they too maintained total silence as they paraded, heads held high, gazing into the distance, waist and hips thrust forward as their master had taught them, always with that kindness and extreme courtesy that was his hallmark.
He never liked being present at clients’ fittings, but the few recorded that honor adored him, and some even became close friends. One of them, Pauline de Rothschild, talked of his ability to influence the looks and outlook of the women he dresses. Gloria Guinness, a long standing friend, lent the dresses she wore fluidity and grace, while the Duchess of Windsor gave them wit. Other ardent admirers included Mrs. Biddle, who sometimes ordered as many as eight dresses in a single day(thus almost single-handedly keeping busy an atelier of forty workers) and the Countess Bismarck, whose beauty and elegance were legendary, and who remained in her room for two days when she heard the master had decided to close his business. Though essentially solitary, Balenciaga had many friends, among them Madeleine Vionnet, Coco Channel and M.L. Bousquet, whom he visited regularly in his latter years. Between collections he would retreat to Spain and meet up with old friends, to whom on occasion he confided how exhausted he felt, how burdened with
他隐居到西班牙圣塞巴斯蒂安附近的伊格尔多山，从某种意义 上说， 他从未离开过西班牙，也正是在西班牙的经历对他一生 的事业产生了极其重大的影响。它是一切设计元素的来源， 比 如黑色和棕色的混合设计，黑玉外壳镶边设计， 亮白色， 优雅 的公主裙，朴素的女家教服，a la Zurbaran不对称礼服长裙上的 粉红色着色黑色蕾丝和重硬丝绸，麦当娜钟爱的纯色三角裙， 这些元素就如雕塑一样，屹立在时尚圈，毫不动摇。巴伦夏加 1972年于哈韦阿逝世，并葬在巴斯克地区，
也正是在那里，他
遗传了沉默的性格，严格的纪律以及尊严。
塞西尔·比顿为这位享誉全球的传奇设计师找了极为恰当的墓 志铭， 那就是：巴伦夏加为时装界创造了未来。
work and responsibilities. He once told the painter Miro, ’You are lucky. If you want to produce a masterpiece, you do it on your own. I need five hundred people to do it….’ And yet he always spoke passionately about his craft.
The year 1968, a time of social upheaval in France, was the date of the master’s last collection. Experiencing the sea change that had taken place in life and society , Balenciaga saw that the time for luxury and elegance was past. Closing his fashion house filled him with profound regret and plunged his staff into a state of confusion. ‘Balenciaga decides to quit-and fashion will never be the same again,’ wrote Sam White in the Evening Standard. A private man with a horror of publicity, journalists, photographers and society chit-chat, he kept his life shrouded in mystery-which, paradoxically, was the best publicity of all.
He retired to his house at Igueldo near San Sebastian in Spain, the Spain that in a certain sense he had never really left, and whose influence had remained paramount throughout his career. It was the source of those blacks and browns, those embroideries heavy with jet-encrusted trimmings, the brilliant whites, the graceful Infantas, the austere duennas, of black lace suffused with pink, of heavy stiff silks used in big asymmetrical gowns a la Zurbaran, of the Madonna-like purity of dresses flaring into the shape of a trapeze, unyielding as statues. Balenciaga died in 1972 at Javea and was buried in his native Basque country-whose reserved character, discipline and dignity he had surely inherited.
Cecil Beaton found a fitting epitaph for this legendary couturier, whose influence extended across the whole world: Balenciaga had, Beaton said,’ created the future for fashion.’