BALENCIAGA

The Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga was highly acclaimed by Coco Chanel and Christian Dior. He founded the fashion house Balenciaga in 1918 in Spain but was forced to move his headquarters to Paris during the Spanish Civil War. Key looks in his fashion career include the balloon jacket in 1953, the waistless chemise dress aka the ‘sack’ in 1956 and the balloon skirt in 1957. Balenciaga died in 1972 and the label was taken over in 1987 by Michel Goma and then Dutch designer Joseph Thimester in 1992.