Balenciaga’s lace to be honored in Calais, France

Balloon sleeves and baby doll dresses may be the first things that come to mind when discussing Balenciaga. But the Calais museum devoted to lace and fashion plans to explore another aspect of the designer’s collections.

Marking the 120th anniversary of the Spanish couturier’s birth, the exhibition will be held from April 17 to August 31, 2015 and will be the first ever to focus on lace in Balenciaga’s designs.

Altogether, the show will present around 75 outfits and accessories showcasing the designer’s love of lace, often produced in Calais. In pieces ranging from evening gowns to suit jackets, Balenciaga used the delicate material often and in different ways, as adornment or as the base of various garments. 

Presented by the Cité de la Mode et de la Dentelle de Calais in collaboration with the Cristobal Balenciaga Foundation, the exhibition will travel to Getaria, the couturier’s birthplace, in 2016.