Major Balenciaga Exhibit in Paris Shows Perfect Princess-worthy Couture

Major Balenciaga Exhibit in Paris Shows Perfect Princess-worthy Couture
A luscious drape of silk.

A frothy swirl of skirts.

The word elegant doesn't do justice to the perfect gowns on show in a new Paris retrospective on Cristobal Balenciaga, the couturier of couturiers.

These clothes are mouthwatering.

There are dresses for every colour of sorbet.

There is a red velvet coat with luxurious, sensual pleats worthy of a Renaissance painting, and any number of precision-cut lace black dresses that frame the decollete just so.

The exhibit at the Museum of Fashion and Textiles, which opens Thursday, features the Spanish designer's work from 1937, when he opened his house in Paris, until it closed in 1968, four years before he died.

It also shows off the clothes of current Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquiere, who reinvented the house and helped curate the exhibit.

The Frenchman just made headlines for designing Nicole Kidman's wedding dress and for appearing on Time magazine's list of 100 influential people.