BLOG ARCHIVES: How I Spent My Birthday | Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion, Carluccio's & Shopping

20 October 2017

ARCHIVES: JUNE 2017

This past week has been very exciting and extremely busy. As you may know -from my last post- I sat my last A-Level exam Thursday morning and I can't tell you how relieved I feel to be finally finished with it all. After the exam, I went out with some friends and we just chilled, ate lunch/ dinner and did a little bit of shopping.

Saturday was a big day for me. I finally turned 18!!! I can't tell you how happy I am not to be 17 anymore. Gosh, that was an anti-climatic age. Anyway, celebrations kicked off on Friday morning as my Mum surprised me with tickets to the Balenciaga exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum.
It was my favourite moment of the whole day. I felt like I was in fashion heaven. There were just so many great things about the exhibition from the clothes, the history of Balenciaga; the designer and the brand, and one thing I never realised is how influential Balenciaga was/ still is. I never realised how much Balenciaga is a part of fashion history. He was a massive influencer for Shift dresses and flared sleeves.

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Honestly, there were stars in my eyes from the all the information, the history and the gorgeous clothes the mannequins wore. I've been to smaller fashion exhibitions before and the clothes that were on show were never that great but here, they were. I loved every single dress. I loved EVERYTHING! It rendered me speechless at how much Balenciaga has contributed to shaping fashion (excuse the pun) as we know it today.

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One of my favourite parts of the exhibition was trying on a mock version of one of Balenciaga's designs. On the hook, it looked like a massive cape that was brought in at both ends. But on the model, it's actually a skirt. So how you wear it is by tying one end around the back of your waist so it trails behind you. You then pick up the end of it, bringing it back up to tie around your waist, to create a skirt with a little flare. (see picture below)

I loved trying this skirt on, it made me feel fancy and elegant. I loved the slit in it that ran all the way up from where the fabric had overlapped. I felt like I could twirl around in it and watch it flare up, but I drew a small crowd and I didn't feel comfortable with everyone watching.

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I want this in my wardrobe!!
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"How can anyone look sexy in a sack?" cried, critics. His design lead to what we know as the Shift Dress.

The exhibition was two floors, on the top floor was how Balenciaga acts as an influence for other designers such as Givenchy and Dior.

One thing I learnt was that he mentored Givenchy. On a small sign that had the information, there was a quote of what Balenciaga had told Givenchy; "If you're going to use flowers, then place them in an intellectual manner". Basically saying that each embellishment is deliberate, it's not there just to look pretty, but to add to the effect of the piece. That quote has opened my eyes to so much, it's a new way of thinking about things. I'm a little obsessed with it and I know it off by heart.

After the exhibition, my Mum and I ate some lunch in Carluccio's. I had a Pesto, Mozzarella and Tomato Ciabatta with their Summer Garden drink. It was delicious and the tomatoes were lovely and sweet.

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After lunch, we headed to Oxford Street to do a little shopping. I picked up a few nice tops, some dresses etc. Luckily there was a sale on, so I got to bag myself some deals.

Friday was a great day, full of fashion, inspiration and shopping. A great start to my birthday weekend.

See you soon,
AC xo