Object: Cape
Brand:
Balenciaga
(French, founded 1937)
Designer:
Cristóbal Balenciaga
(1895 - 1972)
Date: c. 1962
Medium: Silk gazar
Country: France
Credit Line: Gift of Mildred S. Hilson
Object number: 73.37.17
DescriptionTwo tier evening cape in black silk gazar; waist length and knee length tiers gathered into wide collar band
Label Text:Cristóbal Balenciaga worked with Swiss textile firm Abraham to develop gazar fabric, a “screen-wire-like transparent stiff silk.” Gazar could be molded, enabling sculptural, yet airy forms. Balenciaga’s style during the 1960s absolutely relied on the qualities of fabrics to achieve his signature architectural, unadorned silhouette, epitomized by this dramatic cape.
Exhibitions:
- Fabric In Fashion