The Master of Us All: Balenciaga, His Workrooms, His World

by Mary Blume, Cristóbal Balenciaga

A sparkling life of the monumental fashion designer Cristóbal Balenciaga

One of the most innovative and admired figures in the history of haute couture, Cristóbal Balenciaga was, said Christian Dior, "the master of us all."

Despite his extraordinary impact, Balenciaga was a man hidden from view. He saw to it that little was known about him, to the point that some French journalists wondered if he existed at all. Even his most devoted clients―Marlene Dietrich, Barbara Hutton, a clutch of Rothschilds―never met him.

But one woman knew Balenciaga very well indeed. The first person he hired when he opened his Paris house was Florette Chelot, who became his top vendeuse. She witnessed the spectacular success of his first collection, and they worked closely for more than thirty years, until 1968, when Balenciaga abruptly closed his house without telling any of his staff. Youth-oriented fashion was taking over, Paris was in upheaval, and the elder statesman wanted no part of it.

In The Master of Us All , Mary Blume tells the remarkable story of the man and his world. Intimate and revealing, this is an unprecedented portrait of a designer whose vision transformed an industry but whose story has never been told until now.

Genres: Fashion, Biography, Nonfiction, History, Art, Biography Memoir, Spain

256 pages, Paperback

First published February 5, 2013

Reviews

[Mariℓina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cristóbal Balenciaga, genuine and humble from the very first moment of his career, an enigmatic artist, with a mysterious personality so the least you could expect from a book that has in its title, "His World", is a serious glimpse on his introvert character.


I wouldn't like a tell all, mostly because Balenciaga himself was a very private person, but a more thorough job from that aspect would have been very welcome.


More of a detailed career timeline and less a biographical documentation this book is both pleasing and disappointing. I loved reading about the feuds, friendships and amazing protégé that he instructed and of course the heartbreaking ending of all he built.


His impeccable talent and relentless values will always stand but in my opinion this book does a poor job covering any of it. The photos are not of great quality and not enough. Even though many of his characteristic designs are in there, so many more are missing. All in all an adequate read that lives you wanting more.



THOUGHTS ABOUT THE BOOK

- Too many stories of the people who were around him.
- He detested "branding".
- Anecdote stories of how Cristóbal Balenciaga, helped Hubert de Givenchy build his own haute couture house.

[Simona Cosma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concepută ca un dublu portret - al couturierului Cristobal Balenciaga văzut prin ochii vendeuzei sale principale, Florette Chelot -o biografie care reușeste să dezvăluie destul de puține despre enigmaticul couturier, un personaj atât de discret, care nu obișnuia niciodată să iasă în fața publicului la încheierea prezentărilor, încât unii contemporani ai săi se întrebau dacă el chiar există.
Din punctul meu de vedere, strict pentru amatorii de cultură fashion.

[Amnestyax Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cristobal Balenciaga a fost foarte misterios și foarte privat, iar puține persoane îl cunoșteau cu adevărat. De fapt, majoritatea clienților (chiar și cei faimoși) nu l-au întâlnit niciodată. Cu toate acestea, impactul său asupra modei este amplu și profund. Este, fără îndoială, cel mai bun Couturier care a trăit vreodată, precizia și atenția sa la detalii fiind de neegalat. Titlul cărții "The Master of Us All" este modul în care Christian Dior se referea la Balenciaga. Doamna Blume și-a făcut cercetările și a discutat cu oameni care l-au cunoscut și au lucrat cu el. O femeie, în special, a adus multă lumină asupra omului și muncii sale, vânzătoarea sa de top, Florette Chelot, prima persoană pe care a angajat-o când și-a deschis casa din Paris. Ea a lucrat pentru el timp de peste treizeci de ani, până când el a închis brusc casa în 1968.

Balenciaga a murit în 1972, crezând că numele său va dispărea odată cu el. Cu toate acestea, moștenitorii săi au continuat să folosească numele și să-l vândă, fiind în cele din urmă cumpărați de Kering (fostul PPR). Alexander Wang este designerul șef actual, și prin explorarea arhivelor și documentându-se, a rămas foarte aproape de estetica perioadei de glorie a lui Cristobal Balenciaga (în opinia mea). Lucru pe care îl ador. Deci, dacă vrei să afli mai multe despre Balenciaga sau pur și simplu ești interesat de istoria modei, atunci ia această carte. Merită 100%!

[Angie Fehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Master Of Us All" was a title given to the Spanish clothing designer, Cristobal Balenciaga, by fellow clothing designer Christian Dior. Balenciaga came from humble roots -- his father a fisherman, his mother a seamstress / dressmaker -- but his curiosity and love of detail would prove to serve him well in his rise to fame years later. As a child, Balenciaga would tag along on his mother's trips to clients' homes for fittings appointments. He would pay close attention to his mother's techniques, particularly how to drape a fabric in the way most flattering to the client's body type. As he grew up, he found his own employment in the fashion industry, starting as a clothing buyer. His success as a designer was not immediate -- after his first major show, the general consensus was that his designs were "pretty, but boring". He stuck with it though, always eager to learn and improve...even when he finally had reached insane success. As this bio shows, "making it" doesn't mean you have guaranteed fans everywhere -- look at Dior. By 1949, the house of Dior -- JUST Dior -- made up 5% of France's entire export revenue. Yet fellow French designer Coco Chanel was quoted as saying that Dior's clothes made women look like stuffed armchairs! Balenciaga took note, always honing his signature style.

Much of what made this book fascinating for me was Blume's research into Balenciaga's relationships with other designers. He was notoriously reclusive. What the media sometimes labeled "secretive" was maybe just discretion -- during his entire career, he never gave interviews, never bowed after runway shows, and many of his most famous clients never actually met him (largely because he insisted on the focus being on the clothes, not the man) -- so it makes for captivating reading to get a BTS look at this guy. It was said that with Spanish aristocracy, he was warm and open, behaving as if he was around friends and neighbors. When it came to French aristocracy though, he was quiet, polite, much more reserved. He developed friendships with French designers such as Chanel & Dior but not without some hang-ups.

With Dior, they weren't maybe what you'd call besties, but they definitely had a friendly work rivalry going. Dior often spoke glowingly of Balenciaga's work. He didn't see competition between them necessarily, because their styles and approach to design in general were so different. Dior was known to lend some of his pieces out to celebrity clients as free publicity. Balenciaga did this on occassion as well, but in general he wasn't a fan of the practice. Balenciaga seemed to have a laser focus on work & technique -- the book points out that when a design didn't come out to his liking, he was apt to say it was "cursi", roughly translating to "piss-elegant" or tacky. Dior more often indulged in theatrics to get his name out there.


Balenciaga also had a friendship with designer Givenchy (perhaps most famous for his working partnership with Audrey Hepburn). According to Givenchy, Balenciaga and Coco Chanel were good friends until word got out that she gave an interview to fashion magazine Women's Wear Daily criticizing Balenciaga's homosexuality as well as saying that he dressed women the way he did because he knew nothing about a woman's body. Daaaang, girl! You didn't think that'd get back to him?! There was also something about Chanel promising to provide editor John Fairchild with a picture of Balenciaga and then not following through with one (remember back to B's tendency to keep private). Friendship fallout ensued and Balenciaga, completely crushed & brokenhearted at the betrayal, returned to Spain for a time to lick his wounds. The friendship was never 100% repaired after that but Givenchy later said he was surprised to hear Balenciaga did attend Chanel's funeral.

When Blume looked into this particular story, she says that Fairchild was quoted as saying this incident never happened, recent editors of the magazine concur there's no truth to it and there doesn't seem to be any record of this Chanel interview in the magazine's archives, though Givenchy swore he saw it with his own eyes ... begs the question why one would make up such a story?! Not to mention that in a final interview before his death, he spoke rather glowingly of this woman whose behavior he earlier claimed was so catty. So maybe Balenciaga just went back to Spain for that time because he needed some time to reconnect with his roots?

I don't know. I'm honestly not sure what to believe. But Blume seems to hint that Givenchy was possibly an unreliable source for information, as some of Balenciaga's friends seemed to have the feeling that Givenchy, who was an up and coming designer when Balenciaga was already solidly established, was manipulating the friendship / mentorship to more quickly gain fame and clients. Balenciaga's longtime business partners, the Bizcarrondos, believed Givenchy was toying with B to get him to financially back Givenchy as he built up his own design house. When asked about this years later, Givenchy swore up and down that he knew nothing about this accusation, that the Bizcarrondos had already broken their partnership with B by 1953 when he came in.... but Blume states that records show they were still there in 1955, soo... hmm...

I think this book nicely illustrates what a complex personality Balenciaga had. He was known to be very paternal and protective with his models. When not wearing his designs, he had them in simple black dresses, wanting to honor modesty. He made clothes for the aristocracy(designing the wedding dress of Queen Fabiola of Belgium) and priest's cassocks for churches in both France & Spain (some of which were even used at Balenciaga's own funeral), but also loved designing a great party dress for the every woman.

He could be a jokester some days -- throwing out a "we make sales here?!" in feigned shock when his assistant mentions being overwhelmed with orders. He preferred dressing what we might today call "the average woman", the clients on the slightly more "plump" side, as Blume calls it here, -- his employees were known to say "Monsieur likes a bit of belly" -- in one instance calling out one of his models who had been secretly dieting when she became self-conscious about the thickness of her thighs, but fell into a dizzy spell in front of him. When she confessed what the trouble was, he answered back, "It's not your job to be slim, it's my job to dress you so it can't be seen." The model said he then ordered her a steak and fries from a nearby restaurant and sat until she ate everything, before he would continue. He was so adamant about using models with curve that in one instance he actually threw the famously rail-thin model Twiggy out of a photo shoot of his clothing, insisting one of his shop models be brought in instead!

As cool as that is, there are also many stories of him infuriating clients and employees with his stubbornness and periodic rages. He knew what he liked and what he wanted and wasn't afraid to refuse to compromise. Typical of an icon, while he might not always have been liked, it appears he was definitely respected and deeply missed after his passing.

For someone that admittedly knows next to nothing about modern day fashion houses, yet loves fashion history, I found this biography fascinating. It's also written in a super easy to read style, btw. The reader also gets a bonus of a ton of historic photographs scattered throughout. Though I gotta say.... some of those designs... if I saw one of my female friends wearing a few of those dresses today, I'd definitely be like, "Girl, I know it's Balenciaga, but wtf are you wearing?!" But I guess that's how fashion goes, eh? :-)

*I won a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway, the opinions above are entirely my own.

[Walter Victor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure if I like the way this was written idk but I do appreciate the information that was presented! Learning about who Cristobal Balenciaga actually was (kind of lmao). But also getting me an interested in Spains position during WW1 and WW2. The fall of couture and the rise of ready to wear. It’s interesting all these people were around at the same time, such as Dior, Givenchy, Balenciaga, Schiaparelli, Chanel, etc. FINALLY learning that atelier is the studio space and not the person making the clothes lol which is the couturier. And idk it’s always sad to see a namesake brand get sold after the person whose namesake it is, passes away. I get it, you have to make money so licensing and all that stuff and the person is legendary blah blah blah. But maybe let’s leave whatever they made with them when they pass?

Shoutout to all the lovely pictures of his dresses too. They’re really beautiful and alluring.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Immensely Readable, but left me hungry for more

Blume has written an immensely readable book (I finished in one sitting). Even while I enjoyed it, ultimately it left me with unanswered questions.

Not much is known about Cristobal Balenciaga's life. Few customers, buyers, or magazine editors met him. During his entire career he gave only one interview. There are very few known photos of him. John Fairchild while at the WWD Paris bureau, literally stalked Balenciaga like a paparazzo to get some street photos, resulting in shots of him pretty much doing the same thing and looking the same, going from home to work. Yet he left an indelible impact on the world of fashion that lives in today's couture.

Blume has filled her book with fascinating tidbits taken from interviews with Balenciaga's first and long-time vendeuse, Florette, who generously shared memories of her more than 30 years with him before she died. We get a good look from her perspective of the customers, the ateliers, the models,and Balenciaga as he worked. There are also anecdotes from Givenchy, who Balenciaga helped establish his own house, one of his models, his window dresser, a few clients, and others.

But it is Florette's memories that form the backbone of this relatively short bio and help give flesh to this fascinating, immensely talented and focused man whose couture house was at one time the highest grossing one in France, who created many, many new non-derivative looks and who trained Courreges and Ungaro, mentored Givenchy and inspired de la Renta, Rabanne, and others. He was one of the few couturiers who could design from cloth, fit, cut, and sew -- by hand -- his own work. It was Dior who called him "the master of us all, and Chanel who said "the rest of are just designers."

There are interesting facts,not least of which Balenciaga liked designing for a woman with "a bit of a belly", and adapting his designs to his "swans", thinner women. A devout Catholic, he made the shroud for a shrine in Spain as well as the cassocks of his Parisian parish priest.

In 1948 his intimate and business partner of 20 years, Vladizio D'Attainville, died suddenly at age 49. Yet we never learn more, only that Balenciaga afterwards considered becoming a monk and that his collection the following year looked horrible, according to Florette. After that year, Balenciaga went on to surpass every other designer with his creativity and innovation. From the '50s until his couture house closed in 1968, his "numbers" evolved from haute couture into wearable art; essentially he made fashion his bitch. His designs were for strong women, and they loved it. Wearing a Balenciaga enhanced their feminine strength and confidence.

There are interesting tidbits about his long friendship with Chanel and how it suddenly ended; and vignettes of Madeleine Vionnet, an amazing couturier in her own right and his life long mentor. Twenty years older than Balenciaga, she would outlive him.

Blume does detail a fascinating look at the business of haute couture, both before and during the Nazi occupation of France, and how it was saved -- mainly through the efforts of Lucien Lelong --from being looted by the Nazis and transplanted wholesale to Germany. Such a move would have cut the cord between haute couture, a French invention and the centuries old and profitable industries and artisans on which it relied, and crippled the French economy further. The many restrictions and privations of the war dictated to a great degree what Balenciaga and other couturiers could design, and how. There were laws for embroidery, limits to how much cloth they could use, sumptuary laws, etc.

Also fascinating is how some of the clientele changed during that time from aristocrats and wealthy internationals who could not enter Nazi-occupied Europe to interesting women who sometimes paid in cash. One of these Florette suspected was a spy and she disappeared, probably captured by the Nazis. Florette herself suffered physical privations due to lack of food and vitamins. Blume wonders how willfully blind citizens somehow didn't see busloads of Jews leaving Paris, nods at Chanel's live-in relationship with a Nazi officer, and mentions another couturier who would cross the street to avoid his former Jewish clients.

But Balenciaga's personal and social encounters are shallowly drawn. In the early 1950's he met British director Peter Brooks and his wife actress Natasha Parry, who were visiting Paris. Balenciaga invited them to stay at his estate as house guests, something this social recluse had never done. What made Balenciaga break out of his pattern? We never learn more, other than the Brooks were delighted with him and their stay and gave Balenciaga a very valuable house gift. There are more frustrating dead ends like this to significant life events.

I give this 3 stars because if I were dining out on this, although I greatly enjoyed the flavors, I would be still hungry enough to have another meal.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oooh, this was so good. Mary Blume did such a good job dealing with the natural limitations that come with writing a biography about someone like Cristobal Balenciaga (limited sources!). Blume was so fortunate to be able to interview Mme Florette, who sheds a lot of insight into the behind-the-scenes world of Balenciaga and the by-gone world of true haute couture. Of course, Balenciaga himself comes across as so humble, sincere, and talented beyond all imagination.

I just have to put Emanuel Ungaro's statement regarding Balenciaga's death from the May 1972 issue of Vogue Paris in my review, because by the time I got to the last chapter of the book... Ungaro's comments touched me even more and became even more truthful: "... all the fishermen were gathered to sing the mass in Basque. This is what he wanted, no doubt. It was gorgeous. It was solemn. Not depressing. Staggeringly beautiful. It was strong. Like him. He succeeded in his life. He succeeded in his death. Which is more difficult."

[Catherine Byers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Balenciaga did not want publicity for himself, and he was good at protecting his privacy. So there is no Big Reveal in this book. But you will read about his steadfast vendeuse Florette and others on his staff. I enjoyed the descriptions of life in Paris before, during and after the Second World War. The writing is conversational, but not overly chatty. A good read.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

A perfectly diverting little book for summer evenings. This is really Florette's story, and she is what gives it life. I am endlessly fascinated by the interwoven history of designers as fashion evolved. This story is packed with friendships, apprentices, and feuds.

[Julia Tiedt · Rating 3 out of 5]

In terms of a historical fashion biography, it was an excellent book - but Balenciaga was such a private person that it did not offer much insight into his life - was more of a timeline of his career.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like I learned more about the women who worked and/or bought Balenciaga than I did the master. Some interesting vignettes, too much French with no translation and too few photographs.

[Jaea Zuo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Balenciaga’s Summer 2025 runway show was something else…Let’s just say it got people talking. Critics lost their minds over the ‘Barefoot Zero’ shoes, which are designed to mimic the look of bare feet. Some called them "horrendous," others went with "bunion-shaped nightmares." Either way, it had me wondering—who even was Cristóbal Balenciaga, and would he approve of this design?

So, I picked up this biography expecting a deep dive into his life. Plot twist: Balenciaga was so private he barely spoke to the press, so instead, this book is based on the memories of his longtime right-hand woman, Florette Chelot. She spent three decades by his side, giving readers a rare behind-the-scenes look at his workroom, his couture wizardry, and his near-obsessive attention to detail—seriously, this man wouldn’t let a garment leave the room until it was perfect. And speaking of perfection, Balenciaga’s influence is everywhere. The man practically said no to the hourglass silhouettes promoted by Dior, and invented new shapes like the sack dress, balloon skirt, and cocoon coat—aka, the original oversized aesthetic before Gen Z made it cool. His designs were all about structure and fabric over flashy embellishments, influencing brands like Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto. He also mentored Givenchy and Courrèges, inspiring everyone from Oscar de la Renta to Alexander McQueen, and even minimalist icons like Jil Sander and Phoebe Philo. Fast forward to today, and Balenciaga has taken a very different direction. Modern Balenciaga is all about pushing boundaries, sometimes with irony, sometimes with shock value. Instead of handcrafted couture, we see exaggerated streetwear, oversized silhouettes, and designs that spark debate for the shock value. Some people love its boldness and creativity, while others feel it’s more about making statements than making clothes people actually want to wear.

Regardless whether Balenciaga would approve the modern designs, this book gives a fascinating look into Balenciaga’s legacy—from the timeless elegance of the past to the experimental, sometimes controversial, approach of today. If you’re interested in fashion history, or just want to understand how one designer influenced so many others, it’s worth reading!

[Reza Amiri Praramadhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was conflicted between choosing either Coco Chanel or Cristobal Balenciaga, and for choosing Balenciaga, I was richly rewarded by this book. Cristobal Balenciaga was the spanish fashion designer who found the House of Balenciaga. Highly reclusive and secretive, he was unlike other fashion designers, rather somber and austere, refusing to name his creations, only numbering them, never took curtain calls in his fashion shows, and even only gave interview once in his life.
Seeing that Balenciaga is shrouded in an aura of mysteriousness, with so little details of his private life, the author made the wise move by extending the discussion to the world where he lived, the people whom he worked with, such as vendeuses (saleswomen) like Florette, his number one vendeuse, and those things. So, don’t be bemused when you find out the history of Paris fashion industry under Nazi Occupation, or even short biographies of people who worked with Balenciaga.
As this was my first time reading any biography on fashion designer, I am particularly satisfied in knowing more about Balenciaga. He managed set himself aside from other designers, reigning rather like a high priest of haute couture, finally closed the curtains for good once the democratization of fashion in late 60s became more inevitable.

[Steven Voorhees · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the protagonist in P.T. Anderson's new film PHANTOM THREAD is based on Spanish designer Cristobal Balenciaga (1895-1972). To prepare for THREAD, I delved into Balenciaga's life and work. Among the things I read was Blume's catty and engaging biography/memoir of the couturier Dior called UN HOMME PARFAIT (the perfect man). In MASTER'S pages, the reader obtains a pretty solid grasp of Balenciaga the fashioner, Balenciaga the man and fashion itself. Example: He felt clothes were "a sort of a second skin that sculpts, rather than encases, the body; the couturier as a builder, not a decorator." Blume encapsulates an entire era of fashion and delineates the ultra rich clientele whom Balenciaga befriended and built sumptuous attire for. She also drops many a famous name from Bunny Mellon to Emanuel Ungaro; from Hubert de Givenchy to Barbara Hutton. The anecdotes sprinkled throughout the narrative are illuminating, funny and try to present Balenciaga as a living and breathing person; one that was equal parts brilliance and imperfect. Balenciaga was very enigmatic; "sublimely out of reach," yet demanding and difficult with just about everyone. In Blume's prose, this contradiction of couture comes alive.

[Simon · Rating 2 out of 5]

A thin biography. Blume tells the story of the legendary Spanish couturier mainly through the eyes of his top vendeuse, Florette Chelot. On the evidence of her own account, Blume appears to overestimate Chelot's influence upon Balenciaga the designer, although she does seem to have had effect upon the women who ordered clothes through her (which after all was Chelot's actual job, and she seems to have been very good at it). Balenciaga was intensely private, and more or less completely dedicated to his work. He was also about as practical as a high-end designer could be in terms of his chosen profession, stepping away from his Paris atelier in 1968 when the times ran heavily against luxurious clothing. Balenciaga was dead by the time the 80s rolled around and things changed.

I know very little about the general subject matter (high fashion, and Balenciaga in particular), and The Master of Us All didn't do a lot to change that. Blume writes well, so reading it wasn't a chore, but it is a potato chip of a book, not the meal of a real biography.

[wanderlust_bookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

W życiu czytałam może z trzy biografie, raczej nie sięgam po ten gatunek. Skusiłam się głównie dlatego, że Balenciaga był Hiszpanem, a dokładniej Baskiem, a mnie interesuje ten region i chciałam dowiedzieć się więcej o znanej osobie, która stamtąd pochodzi.
Balenciaga unikał mediów i uchodził za tajemniczego, nic więc dziwnego, że nie ma tu wiele informacji na jego temat, ale te które mamy pozwalają stworzyć sobie jego obraz.
Tło historyczne jest bardzo ciekawie zarysowane, czuć klimat epoki.
Książka zawiera również czarno-białe fotografie, od których nie mogłam oderwać wzroku.
Chciałabym, żeby taka moda wróciła – niesamowita jakość, dbałość o detale, szycie na miarę. Teraz nawet bogacze nie mają rzeczy takiej jakości, bo jakość największych domów mody spadła.
Projekty Cristóbala były tak spektakularne i pełne elegancji. Bardzo mi smutno, że aktualnie Balenciaga robi tak paskudne rzeczy.
Dla mnie była to bardzo inspirująca książka i zaskakująco dobrze się ją czytało.

[Ioana Barcan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nu cred că este o carte potrivită persoanelor neinteresate de acest subiect, pentru inceput.
Însă, dacă îți place "moda" și frumosul, in general, cred că e important și să încercăm să vedem puțin mai departe de haine.

Mi s-a părut interesant că istoria casei de moda a fost prezentată împreună cu elemente de istorie sa ii spun "generala". Cred că e un element foarte important sau la care eu cel puțin țin, când vine vorba de un subiect din aceasta arie.

Un mic minus pe care l-am simțit pe alocuri la varianta tradusă în română a cărții (de la editura Baroque Books & Arts): sunt foarte utile pozele in cadrul unui astfel de subiect! E puțin obositor sa tot cauți pe internet și cred că informația (care este foarte prețioasă și bine pusa la punct) ar fi și mai utila într-un format cu poze.

[Neha Sakuja · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you see the title of a book to be – The Master of Us All, you expect to read stories and instances of the said character’s life that would leave you inspired & charged. Rather the book included too many stories about other people who were present in Balenciaga's life. This left me a bit disappointed because most of it could have been omitted. Balenciaga was an extremely private person, avoiding interviews and public appearances. Being a biography, well this book provides no major revelations about him.

[Gigra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. It is a wonderful and respectful look into the career and artistry of Balenciaga and doesn't address gossip or scandals in explicit detail. Considering that Balenciaga was a private person this is probably the best way to approach the designer - through someone who worked with him for years. Blume also stayed on topic throughout the book and included only relevant details on the relations with other designers and "clients".

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

Balenciaga was certainly a fascinating man, but this biography didn't really give a lot of insight into him. Obviously, the title does tell you that we will be reading about his workrooms and overall life, but it was really more those around him rather than the designer himself. Useful information, it just depends on what information you are looking for.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Balenciaga’s work when I’ve seen it in photos and museums but didn’t know much about his life. I understand why now- there is very little to know about him. But Blume does a good job and portraying the atmosphere of his workplace and life in the Paris couture world. Very enjoyable.

[Margaret Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

As the book addresses, Balenciaga was notoriously private. Unfortunately that means you’ll learn very little about him from this book. Some interesting nuggets, but overall it just feels pretty random.

[Khaneez Fatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cristóbal Balenciaga is the most famous yet prefer to live a private life even though he is very famous he never give interviews and away from media, as a legend he is inspirational person for many fashion designers.

[Oliwia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bardzo mało o Balenciadze. Książka o jego otoczeniu i sytuacji mody w okresie, w którym on tworzył. Nic specjalnego, liczyłam na więcej informacji o samym projektancie i jego życiu.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, but not a page turner. But then again, Balenciaga's life wasn't inviting extra attention...

Gave a nice glimpse into the fashion world of that time without being suppositious.

[Bart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastically well written

[Edan Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating but hard to follow at times from the name dropping

[Andreea Borz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too gossipy and subjective to be called a biography, but one can relax and find out a thing or two reading this book.

[India Celeste · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only thing I didn't particularly like about the book is that it often deviated to biographies and info about people around Balenciaga versus being in depth about the man himself. The person who gave the most perspective about him was his long-time vendeuse, so much of the book was about her, her coworkers, and other designers. What I did enjoy was that the book somewhat mirrors who Balenciaga was in real life: someone mysterious that people only seemed to have glimpses of.

I wasn't born in his lifetime so it was fascinating to understand the blood, sweat, tears, and inspiration that inevitably led to what the brand is today. It is nothing like the original but what often is over years of time? This is a great book for people who consider themselves visionaries or unconventional to read. It is a good reminder to "Do you" and stand for what you really believe even if other people don't follow you...and more importantly if they don't understand or agree.

I did find myself wanting to break out the sewing machine and getting back into my own designing after reading about his dedication & willingness to try something wild. Read this book if you secretly wish that what you do out of pure interest and passion can grow into something much more significant in the lives of other people. Balenciaga wanted his work to make him money but not at certain costs in other areas. We could all use that mentality.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fashion is the one thing I am passionate about, not in your typical white girl sense but truly passionate about. On my 19th birthday, my sister was still in England and I was back in our homecountry and she asked me what I wanted for birthday. I said 'Just get me a book'. She is not a reader so I had to pick one... and boy am I glad it was this one. I only read it today (more than a year after I got it) because I wanted to pay attention to every detail. I know the book doesn't deal with Balenciaga's private life in too much detail, but that's kinda the point, isn't it? Balenciaga wouldn't have it any other way. I much prefer reading about his business and all the people in the business'stories. I loved the writing, it was what I want non-fiction to be like. The ending literally had me in tears, and I don't remember the last time I cried over someone's brand being turned into...well a brand. I recommend this to everyone who is into fashion/business side of fashion/art or just appreciates beautiful things and beautiful souls.