Balenciaga: L’Oeuvre au noir

When I saw the Balenciaga: L’Oeuvre au noir exhibit advertised in the Paris metro, I knew I had to see it. The possibility of a fashion exhibit focused on my favourite colour was simply too good to pass up. But what I found impressed me even more than I expected. The Musee Bourdelle, a small museum devoted to sculpter Antoine Bourdelle, hosts the exhibit. The juxtaposition between Balenciaga’s spare black dresses and Bourdelle’s monolithic works is, in a word, striking. There is no doubt that Balenciaga’s designs would make an impression in any space. However, the high contrast of this exhibit makes them all the more poignant. I particularly loved stepping into the atelier, which remains as it was in Bourdelle’s life, cluttered with materials and half-finished works. A black Balenciaga suit is displayed in an empty space within their midst, as if it had always been there, too. I coveted the Balenciaga City Bag as a teenager, long before I began dreaming of Chanel. I have yet to buy one, although I think of it often. Many people consider the styled dated now, but I still love it. But it doesn’t matter if I ever own a City Bag; I will always have a soft spot for the Spanish designer. To see his creations in person was an incredible treat – so much so, in fact, that I went back to the exhibit a second time. The hours that I spent contemplating his embellished black creations, imagining the exciting lives they must have lived, the parties they must have been worn to, was an undeniable thrill. French culture celebrates all creation as the art that it is, fashion design included. I hope that some day, we will celebrate design in the same way in North America. In the interim, though, fashion exhibits will always be on my to-do list when I visit Paris. If you plan to visit the City of Light, be sure to check what exhibits might be on when you go – you never know what surprises you may discover!

Balenciaga: L’Oeuvre au noir
At the Musee Bourdelle until July 16, 2017
18, rue Antoine Bourdelle
01 49 54 73 73