The fall exhibit on Cristóbal Balenciaga involves everything wonderful and fascinating in the world: a royal; amazing original vintage pieces worn by important people; bullfighter outfits; and a spectacular wedding dress, among other things. Queen Sofía of Spain will inaugurate the exhibit, “Balenciaga: Spanish Master,” opening to the public on November 19 in the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute on the Upper East Side. Curated by Vogue’s Hamish Bowles, the exhibit will examine the work of Cristóbal Balenciaga and his Spanish influences, and include around 60 pieces of clothing and accessories. Items to be displayed include Balenciaga’s “Infanta” gown from 1939, matador boleros from 1946, flamenco-inspired dresses from the fifties and sixties, and the embroidered wedding dress worn in 1957 by Sonsoles Díez, daughter of Balenciaga’s muse, Marquesa de Llanzol. Some of the pieces, pulled from museums and private collections, have never been exhibited. The show ends February 19.
Balenciaga flamenco-inspired evening dress, 1951 (left); Balenciaga evening ensemble with toreador bolero, 1946.Photo: Henry Clarke / Vogue; Copyright © Condé Nast; Christian Bérard / Vogue; Copyright © Condé Nast.