Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquiere

"Nicolas Ghesquiere is the most intriguing and original designer of his generation. His collections are explorations of shape, volume and embellishment that seem totally new — yet reflect in a glancing, abstract way the style of the iconic design house that shelters him: Balenciaga." - Suzy Menkes

One of my favorite designers is Nicolas Ghesquiere, he has a unique vision about fashion and it's shapes. People know that a Ghesquiere collection can influence everyone else's - even some from the "bigger" names. In 1997 when he was only 25 years old, Nicolas was chosen to head Balenciaga, one the most influential fashion houses from the couture era that had fallen from grace after the death of founder/visionary Cristobal Balenciaga and a string of really faulty designers.

But Ghesquiere turned the brand around and made it into what of the most respected and influential brands. In 2001 The Gucci Group bought Balenciaga and Nicolas has always been positive about it as it enables him to complete his vision of making Balenciaga a global brand.

Here are some of my favorite designs from his most recent collections. From the Baroque Rockstar of Spring 2006 to his Futuristic Fembot from Spring 2007, Ghesquiere never ceases to amaze. One of his staples is the suit, always present in his collections in every form of incarnation but always with the same silhouette: cigarette trousers and fitted jackets with structured shoulders. His dresses are always dramatic and his gravity defying shoes are always gasp inducing.

Nicolas Ghesquiere may sometimes borrow from the past but mostly he chooses to show us what the future of fashion - and life - will be in the twenty first century.

C.