That New Look, That New Silhouette

KNOWN FOR THE "NEW LOOK" AND THE "NEW SILHOUETTE" RESPECTIVELY, Christian Dior and Cristóbal Balenciaga shared this particular day, January 21, as their birthday. Born ten years apart at the turn of the 20th century, the two designers became among the key influencers of women's fashion in the mid-1900s.

The "New Look" by French-born Christian Dior sparked a revolution in 1947 with its lavish lengths and generous use of material. Embodying the collection was Le Bar, or the "Bar" suit, which consisted of a glove-tight tailored morning coat in shantung, under whose full peplum extended a wool skirt with over 25 yards of fabric and multiple layers of petticoat. Le Bar, along with Dior's array of extravagant ensembles, celebrated the end of wartime fashion. Met with desire on both sides of the Atlantic, the New Look was, in the designer's own words, a way of giving back to women "an ideal of civilized happiness".

Contrasting with Dior's hourglass look were Cristóbal Balenciaga's architectural silhouettes. From boxy tunics, to the rounded tonneau line, to trapezoidal baby doll dresses, the Spanish couturier constructed shapes independent to the wearer's figure while still flattering the wearer and providing her incredible ease. Waists were raised, then dropped or removed completely, sleeves were cropped and hems were skewed, resulting in the equally graphic and graceful innovations that had him dubbed by Vogue as "the great leader in fashion; what Balenciaga does today, other designers will do tomorrow, or next year, by which time he will have moved on again."

CHRISTIAN DIOR AT 30 AVENUE MONTAIGNE AND DRESSES DEFINING THE "New Look":

Cristobal Balenciaga's various silhouettes AND A PORTRAIT OF THE DESIGNER:

Today, both designers' legacies continue to influence and inspire, with elements of Dior's New Look and Balenciaga's new silhouettes echoed and emulated in 21st-century garments. Conditions and motivations for dressing are very much changed now but the two contrasting themes endure; on the one hand, fashion restores the woman's taste for lightheartedness, and on the other, it encapsulates her subtle, ever-changing nuances.

From top: Le Bar by Christian Dior, Amphora dress and Ligne I dress by Cristóbal Balenciaga. Images from dior.com balenciaga.com and britannica.com

That Marmoreal Moment

NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE WORD "MEMORIAL", though both words seem to reference the tombstones and mausoleums made in that smooth, cold limestone. "Marmoreal" is an old-fashioned term describing something made of marble, or which bears the qualities of marble. The word may be used literally for marble objects or structures, such as the Florentine buildings in Virginia Woolf's Flush: A Biography. "...Florence in its marmoreal smoothness and in its gritty cobbled roughness." It may also be used figuratively for non-marble objects, such as Governor Stanton's face, "marmoreal and unperturbed and high, above black square beard and black frock coat..." in Robert Penn Warren's All the King's Men.

The adjective may have long fallen from colloquial speak but its use is still very much alive. What better way, after all, to describe the marbled stylings from Balenciaga, Stella McCartney and Playtype? Indeed, marble is no new motif and there are countless other accessories out there actually made in the stone. But these ones fake it fabulously.

With my marmoreal objects of desire, perhaps it would be safe to proceed with caution, lest I transform my little corner into the Mies Van der Rohe Pavilion.

FAUX Collection posters from store.playtype.com Balenciaga White Marble-effect Ankle Strap Pump from www.lyst.com Stella McCartney Lucia Plexi Clutch www.stellamccartney.com

That Last Impression

MAINTAINING A BLOG LIKE MINE is not only time-consuming because I've got a job, a social life and bad hair but because it has come to require a careful pacing and spacing of topics: can't have two film posts in a row, can't have too many fashion posts in a week, can't show something gross then succeed it by a restaurant feature or a personal travel post succeeded by yes, yet another travel post.

But you can only space so much and you can only wait long enough after a holiday to post photos still relevant to your life at the moment. So it's time to speed things up, get the Spain photos out of the way and move on to the next destination. London is calling!

Before I answer, a last glimpse at Spain. Not at the spectacular meals or breathtaking sights but at the miscellaneous moments that have nothing much to do with each other except bring back a scent or a feeling, or a flavor, not worth writing much about but great for recalling on days when life feels a little less poetic.

¡Adiós y gracias España! At least for now.

Photos taken in Barri Gotic, Fundació Antoni Tàpies, Eixample, Barcelona and at the Reina Sofía, Madrid. Photos by Lady San Pedro.

That Body Language

IN THIS SWELTERING SUMMER HEAT, this is really how I should be spending my days.

Not jumping off the high dive -which looked beautiful by the way- but feeling sultry in a Balenciaga minidress by the pool, as does Kylie in yet another one of my all-time favorite music videos.

I've just spent the evening with my fabulous couple friends Mike and Karlo. And although Mama Madonna will always have our exaltation, I think Kylie also succeeds in seducing our disco-dancing hearts.

This post is for you! Thank you for dinner, dessert, Paris wisdom and a rare night off very well spent.


Slow, 2003 from the album Body Language.

Written by Kylie Minogue, Dan Carey and Emilíana Torrini. Vocals by Kylie Minogue.

Music video directed by Baillie Walsh, shot at the Municipal de Montjuïc swimming pool. Barcelona, Spain.