by Brenda Polan
Inez van Lamsweerde, the Dutch photographer, pointed out that the designer’s starting points ‘are things that come from a collective memory. There are certain elements you remember from your childhood—something you saw, something you wore—and these can trigger a string of associations. The way a jacket is closed, for instance, can make you recall music. Nicolas takes a cue like that and then strips it down and rebuilds it in a modern way.’ Steadily, the fashion world began to acknowledge that here was a young man who was not only reviving a celebrated fashion house but was a major force in his own right. His flatteringly cut trousers became must-haves for fashion editors, while his ability to mix couture style with a contemporary dress-down sensibility drew the attention of the high street copyists.
Tom Ford’s enthusiasm for Ghesquière led to PPR-owned Gucci Group buying Balenciaga in 2001 and, with it, access to the archives. But when Ford and chief executive Domenico De Sole walked out in 2004 and a new chief executive, Robert Polet, was brought in, the omens did not look good for Ghesquière. Balenciaga, despite its heritage, was lumped in with emerging brands such as Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney. The pressure was on to turn the business into profit. Ghesquière’s insistence on maintaining a high-cost atelier in Paris (the clothes were manufactured in Italy) was considered an expensive luxury by the new management team. On top of this, the young designer had a reputation for being uncompromising and troublesome.
It was a sign of insecurity, the designer said later. ‘I used to be more defensive and less comfortable because I was feeling threatened.’
With the Lariat handbag, Ghesquière created a money-spinner that pleased his new boss. Celebrities and wealthy customers worldwide fell over themselves to place orders for the multi-zipped bag with a braided handle and dangling pulls. In 2003, Ghesquière launched a collection titled Balenciaga Edition, recreating ten or fifteen couture pieces from the archives. His autumn/winter collection for 2006 was a highly praised homage to the great couturier, timed to coincide with a major Balenciaga retrospective at the Musée de la Mode et du Textile in Paris. From the boxy suits to the windowpane checks, the spirit of Balenciaga ran through every piece, but always reworked to make them fresh for a twenty-first century audience. While Ghesquière’s collections had tended to reflect Balenciaga’s own preference for round shapes, for spring 2007 the designer opted for a straight silhouette, with pinched, padded and highlighted sleeves. Cathy Horyn of The New York Times called it ‘an ideological break with the retro futurism of Balenciaga. What we are now seeing is the contemporary future of Nicolas Ghesquière.’
By then his status was ensured. Ghesquière was featured in Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2005. He was made a Chevalier des arts et lettres, an award of merit bestowed by the French government which highlights contributions to French culture. Through all this, he has kept a low personal profile, but all that is likely to change when he launches his own signature label, which seems inevitable as his reputation continues to flourish. He believes his own line could be developed in tandem with continuing to work at Balenciaga. ‘Balenciaga is part of my identity,’ he said in 2005. ‘If I want to start my own line, I have to find a very specific and special concept.’ Ghesquière is cautious about overstating the role of fashion as commentary on the world. ‘You have to look at the world and then forget it,’ he said in 2007. ‘Of course I live in my time and I’m really curious. But, at the same time, I don’t think it has a direct impact on my worth.’
Although designer fashion in the early twenty-first century has become big global business, Ghesquière believes there is still the freedom to experiment. ‘What is really interesting about being a designer today is that you can occupy those two positions: being a forward thinker and at the same time someone who sells clothes.’ Unlike any other designer in this book, Ghesquière’s best work may be yet to come. In the great economic slowdown of 2009, the fashion world looked to Ghesquière to suggest a new way forward for design. The austerity of his autumn 2008 collection seemed to presage the onset of hard times. His spring/summer 2009 collection featured innovative cocoon shapes and fabric that appeared to melt around the body, prompting further eulogies, even from those who found his designs hard to pin down. As Julie Gil-hart, a veteran buyer for Barneys New York, put it: ‘He has a knack for showing us things that are not quite in our vernacular yet.’
Further reading: Nicolas Ghesquière has yet to be the subject of a monograph, although its arrival can only be a matter of time. He was exhaustively interviewed in the early years of the twenty-first century.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors wish gratefully to acknowledge the academics and fellow journalists who have been quoted and referenced in this book and the many who may not figure here but have, over the years, provided a basis of knowledge and insight upon which our own expertise is built. The history and culture of dress is becoming a well-explored field, but, in researching and writing this book, which is intended to inspire further study, we have concluded that, when it comes to fashion, among all the picture books, there are some lamentable gaps on the shelves, gaps that should be filled with real thought and analysis. There are many fascinating books, works of research and scholarship, on the great fashion designers and their often equally interesting peers just begging for an author. Both authors have worked closely with the photographer, Chris Moore, over several decades and would like to acknowledge both his invaluable help with this book and his long friendship.
Brenda Polan would like to thank the many editors who have employed her to write about fashion, particularly Dame Liz Forgan who, as the Guardian’s women’s editor, glanced across a crowded features room and plucked her off the late subbing shift and on to the front row at Yves Saint Laurent. She dedicates this book to her siblings, Anthony and Sonia, and to her travelling companion, Colin.
Roger Tredre would like to thank his former colleagues at The Independent, in particular Sarah Mower, Lisa Armstrong and Marion Hume, and at The Observer and WGSN. Over 10 years, he has appreciated the support and encouragement of Louise Wilson at Central Saint Martins and of the 100 MA students he has been fortunate to teach. Thanks to Oriole Cullen at the Victoria & Albert Museum for suggesting the inclusion of Callot Soeurs and to Elizabeth Richardson for her efficient photo research. He dedicates this book to his parents and to his family—Jennifer, Olivia and Nicholas.
ILLUSTRATIONS
1: Madame Worth wearing a gown by Charles Frederick Worth, 1860. Photo: Getty Images.
2: Marie-Louise Herrouett wears a robe du soir by Callot Soeurs. Image: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images.
3: Evening gown and mink-trimmed jacket, 1934. Photo: Getty Images.
4: Poiret at work, 1925. Photo: Getty Images.
5: Fortuny gown, c.1912. Photo: The Granger Collection/TopFoto.
6: Dress by Jeanne Lanvin, 1926. Photo: Getty Images.
7: Chanel in Paris, 1929. Photo: Getty Images.
8: Coat and dress by Jean Patou, 1926. Photo: Getty Images.
9: Model in Vionnet dress, 1935. Photo: Roger Viollet/Getty Images.
10: Butterfly dress by Elsa Schiaparelli, 1937. Photo: Roger Viollett/Getty Images.
11: Evening dress and fur-trimmed cape by Mainbocher, 1935. Photo: Getty Images.
12: Joan Crawford in Letty Lynton, dressed by Adrian. Photo: Getty Images.
13: Salvatore Ferragamo slips on a shoe, 1950. Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images.
14: Madame Alix Grès dress, 1952. Photo: Getty Images.
15: Balenciaga dress, 1953. Photo: Getty Images.
16: Dior in his Paris studio, 1952. Photo: Getty Images.
17: A Charles James fashion show with the designer in the background, 1950. Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images.
18: Claire McCardell adjusts a child’s dress for a fashion show. Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images.
19: Hubert de Givenchy designs, 1952. Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images.
20:
Pierre Cardin show, 1970s. Photo: Chris Moore.
21: Mary Quant and models at a fashion show in Milan, 1967. Photo: Getty Images.
22: Rudi Gernreich at work, 1968. Photo: Getty Images.
23: Mrs. Charles McGaha wears a Norman Norell culotte suit, 1960. Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images.
24: Yves Saint Laurent, spring/summer 2002 couture. Photo: Chris Moore.
25: André Courrèges dress. Photo: Chris Moore.
26: Valentino, autumn/winter 2004. Photo: Chris Moore.
27: Chanel, designed by Karl Lagerfeld, spring/summer 2009. Photo: Chris Moore.
28: Halston with model, 1968. Photo: Getty Images.
29: Kenzo, spring/summer 1988. Photo: Chris Moore.
30: Ralph Lauren, autumn/winter 2001. Photo: Chris Moore.
31: Issey Miyake, autumn/winter 1989. Photo: Chris Moore.
32: Geoffrey Beene, autumn/winter 2000. Photo: Chris Moore.
33: Calvin Klein, autumn/winter 1990. Photo: Chris Moore.
34: Giorgio Armani, autumn/winter 2002. Photo: Chris Moore.
35: Comme des Garçons, designed by Rei Kawakuo, spring/summer 2009. Photo: Chris Moore.
36: Yohji Yamamoto, spring/summer 1985. Photo: Chris Moore.
37: Vivienne Westwood, autumn/winter 1993. Photo: Chris Moore.
38: Paul Smith, spring/summer 2004. Photo: Chris Moore.
39: Azzedine Alaia, autumn/winter 2001. Photo: Chris Moore.
40: Gianni Versace, autumn/winter 1994. Photo: Chris Moore.
41: Jean Paul Gaultier, autumn/winter 1990. Photo: Chris Moore.
42: Dolce & Gabbana, autumn/winter 1992. Photo: Chris Moore.
43: John Galliano, spring/summer 2008. Photo: Chris Moore.
44: Donna Karan, spring/summer 1995. Photo: Chris Moore.
45: Prada, autumn/winter 1996. Photo: Chris Moore.
46: Martin Margiela, spring/summer 2009. Photo: Chris Moore.
47: Marc Jacobs, spring/summer 2009. Photo: Chris Moore.
48: Gucci by Tom Ford, autumn/winter 1995. Photo: Chris Moore.
49: Alexander McQueen, spring/summer 2005. Photo: Chris Moore.
50: Balenciaga, designed by Nicolas Ghesquière, spring/summer 2007. Photo: Chris Moore.
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