Dear Shaded Viewers,
By now you know that 10-12 avenue George V, is Balenciaga’s Paris birthplace and its soon-to-be Couture and creative headquarters. This is the same address where Cristóbal Balenciaga opened the French Couture House in 1937. He lived, worked and held collections presentations here until 1968. In 2021 the address was revived when Demna presented his first Couture collection in the restored salons. It will be reestablished as the Balenciaga headquarters. At the moment the address is under renovation: the existing Couture salons have expanded double in size, and the Balenciaga Couture and ready-to-wear ateliers, plus new offices have been added to the building’s six levels at 12 avenue George V.
Tyler Mitchell, a photographer and filmmaker based in Brooklyn, New York captured the work in progress. His work embraces themes of the past within fictionalized moments of the imagined future. The cast — actress Isabelle Huppert and models Vittoria Ceretti, Minttu Vesala, Arthur del Beato, Nyawurh Chuol, Yura Nakano and Mathieu Simoneau — attempt classic poses in the Winter 23 Collection. In a series of set-ups, the talent is placed among in-progress construction and workers, providing scenes with an ironic point of comparison and an opportunity for each to improvise.
The collection includes deconstructed tailoring, with signature pieces such as track suits, denim and leather jackets, suiting, and jeans—reinvented as inverted or doubled-up approaches, furthering the brand’s experimentation with hybridity. Pleated blouses and skirts, eveningwear lace, bead-embroidered gowns, fitted sweatsuits, and faux-mink coats offer updated Couture silhouettes, with cinched waists and rounded shoulders. The collection also introduces the Monaco Bag line, the Anatomic and Biker Boot lines, the 3XL Sock Shoe, the Flex Pump, Fennec and Speed eyewear, and classics in updated styles, with more material options and brand-new intentions. These include Le Cagole Collector, Le Cagole Carry All, and Le Cagole Basket; the Crush Sling in floral-printed leather; the Everyday Tote in fluffy fake fur; the Bulldozer Boot; the Knife Pump in bow-tied Spandex; the Duty-Free in embossed leather; the Triple S in monochrome; the Superbusy Sling; and wallets that echo Balenciaga bag signatures.
BALENCIAGA EXPANDS HISTORIC AVENUE GEORGE V LOCATION
Balenciaga will return to its Paris birthplace on Avenue George V, an iconic area of French fashion excellence, by expanding the existing salons and including the ateliers and offices for Couture and creative functions that span the addresses 10 and 12 on six levels. In 1937, Cristóbal Balenciaga himself established his Paris ateliers at these addresses and went on to work, fit clients, present collections, and keep an apartment until he retired in 1968. (The place was so resonant in M. Balenciaga’s daily life, he named his first fragrance after it, Le Dix.)
In 2021, artistic director Demna presented the first Balenciaga Couture collection since 1968 (the 50th Couture Collection), in the newly restored and reopened Salons de Couture at the historic address. A storefront M. Balenciaga once utilized as a boutique for perfume and accessories purchases is now the Couture Store, an exclusive and innovative retail experience where clients can find one-of-a-kind creations and exclusive collaborations.
The previous architectural iterations of 10 – 12 Avenue George V have been closely considered while renovating the Couture salons, originally designed by Albert Le Voisvenel in 1887 and decorated by Christos Bellos under the direction of Balenciaga. In its time, the interior design was by all accounts demure for a Couture House, its neutral tones and features typical of an apartment in the area chosen so as not to distract from the collections. For its reopening in 2021, the original off-white stucco arabesques and light grey carpets of circa 1937 were recreated and patinated to affect the passage of untouched time.
Newly reopened spaces feature high-tech updates and modern touches such as a dark, smoked glass that partitions raw walls establishing a destination where Balenciaga’s past, present, and future live in harmony. Marking the occasion of the House’s extended homecoming, a plaque announcing the address’s relevance has been installed on its facade.
Later,
Diane
