An Intimate View Inside Balenciaga’s Showroom
Hi friends,
As locals trickle back into the city following the summer holiday and the days become shorter, the signs of fall are all around me. The weather has turned from steaming hot to humid to lightly brisk within these past few days. Seasonality is still both a magical feeling and a curse to my LA nature but overall, I’ve begun to appreciate the beauty of it all.
This past weekend was the Journées du Patrimoine, also known as heritage days, in Paris. For one weekend only, many museums, monuments, and other cultural centers open up their doors to the public for special exhibitions and tours. Last year, I made a few friends at school who told me about the exhibition at Kering’s corporate headquarters. At this time, I didn’t quite understand what Heritage Days were nor did I know what to expect when going to the exhibition but the first time I went, it was one of the most special exhibitions I’ve experienced.
As someone with an obsession for the fashion industry, I already knew that Kering was a mother company, similar to LVMH, that owns many brands and fashion houses including Balenciaga. So naturally to me, the opportunity to visit such a major player in the fashion industry and discover archival pieces from the vaults of Maison Balenciaga was a moment not to be missed.
Unlike my experience last year, the exhibition this year attracted a much larger crowd of people. The line wrapped around Le Bon Marché in a seemingly endless trail of people but in the end, I was lucky enough to have a friend who was patient enough to wait with me. Once inside, we were greeted by the staff and handed a brochure which shared the history of the grounds. Kering’s corporate offices used to be a hospital in the 18th century then it was eventually restored and renovated to be the corporate offices we know today.
The first part of the exhibition features contemporary artworks from the Pinault Collection. Beautifully displayed on the floor and walls of the restored hospital, the works of art feel almost sacred as we walked through the chapelle. I loved the colors and jelly-like appearance of the resin blocks by Rachel Whiteread which appeared to glow under the soft light in the room.
The second and frankly best part of the exhibition was the Balenciaga showroom. Romantically lit and displayed openly, the showroom was lined with dresses and samples from some of the designer’s most beloved clients. From aristocrats to socialites, each dress was paired with a number which corresponded to a name listed in a separate guide which was handed to each attendee. Unlike a uniform line of runway models, the dresses on display included a variety of proportions, each tailored to the client’s fit. Designed, sewn, and fitted to perfection, the dresses were works of art with whispers of its owner’s glamorous memories. My favorite dresses two dresses were the red dress worn by Hélène Abecasis to the Cannes film festival and a white wedding dress with delicate flower embellishments.
The last few parts of the exhibition took me through the courtyard where fresh lavender can be savored and into the corporate corridors where a contemporary furniture and glass walls blend the past with the future. When I moved to Paris, my dream was always to work within the walls of one of the big luxury conglomerates and now that my internship is coming to an end, I’m still hopeful that I can make my dream a reality.
Nevertheless, there’s something about the world of fashion for all its allure and excess that makes me feel both hopeful and hesitant. The world of fashion has changed drastically with a few steps forward and a few steps back. There will always be this fine line between living for what we need versus what we want and I suppose only time will reveal our deepest truths. In the meantime, the magic of moments like this in Paris remind me that dreams are worth fighting for and that couture is the manifestation of time beautifully spent, invested, and cared for.