Balenciaga Cargo Pants

Starting as a modest boutique, Balenciaga evolved to transform the landscape of women’s fashion with shapes and contours during the middle of the 20th century that were nothing less than groundbreaking. Today, the brand is as venturesome as ever and is well known for its shoes, handbags, sneakers, streetwear and other clothing and accessories.

Though he was born in the quiet fishing village of Getaria in Spain’s Basque region, Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895–1972) was destined to reshape modern fashion. As a child, he worked alongside his seamstress mother. Showing immense talent, he earned commissions as a teenager from local patron Marquesa de Casa Torres, who paid for his tailoring education in Madrid. In 1917, he established his first haute couture house — named Eisa, for his mother — in the trendy resort town San Sebastián. He soon followed it with boutiques in Madrid and Barcelona, drawing such clientele as the Spanish royal family.

When the Spanish Civil War put a hold on his prospects in Spain, the designer moved to Paris, opening a house on Avenue Georges V in 1937. There, Balenciaga rubbed elbows with fashion greats like Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli and quickly won over clients like Gloria Guinness, Pauline de Rothschild and Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor.

As a couturier, Balenciaga drew from his Spanish heritage for ideas, riffing on everything from matador costumes and flamenco dresses to the paintings of Diego Velázquez, whose portraits of Spanish princesses famously inspired Balenciaga’s Infanta gown.

An expert tailor, he experimented with sculptural silhouettes that didn’t follow the body. Some of his notable designs include the 1953 balloon jacket, and from 1957, the cocoon coat, the baby-doll dress and the sack dress, which he popularized with his good friend designer Hubert de Givenchy. All of these could be considered not just the masterpieces of haute couture, but also objets d’art in their own right, leading to Balenciaga’s nickname, “The Master.”

Balenciaga continued designing until 1968, when he retired after three decades of influential work and his fashion house went dormant. The rights to Balenciaga were acquired by Jacques Bogart S.A. in 1986. Under designer Michel Goma, who focused on ready-to-wear, the brand experienced a resurgence, with his first collection introduced in 1987.

The brand returned to high fashion with the arrival of designer Josephus Thimister in 1992. It has since been led by a series of creative directors who have paid homage to Balenciaga’s iconic designs, including Nicolas Ghesquière, Alexander Wang and, most recently, Demna Gvasalia. In 2011, a museum celebrating Balenciaga’s legacy opened in his hometown in Spain, commemorating where it all began.

On 1stDibs, find vintage Balenciaga crossbody bags, tote bags, day dresses, shirts and more.

The pants chosen for an outfit can elevate it to a true fashion triumph. From casual black trousers to a wedding pantsuit, there is a good pair of vintage or designer pants for every wardrobe.

Jeans are a staple of casual wear — an old pair of Levi’s 501s and a white tee remain an iconic duo. But jeans can also make a statement. The cut and fit of one’s jeans can complement a figure and accentuate a style. Bootcut or skinny jeans can be paired with looser shirts and blouses; more fitted tops can play with wider legs such as bell-bottoms or flares. (This will come as no surprise to the younger millennials leading the resurrection of 1990s fashion.) Vintage denim gives an outfit a classic look, while designer jeans, like a pair from Versace, can prove provocative as part of any ensemble.

Pantsuits are a stylized suit with pants and a matching jacket worn by women in business and semiformal settings. Vintage pantsuits and jumpsuits — in which the pants and top are one piece — come in a variety of styles and cuts for every body shape and occasion. Today many designers create fashionable pantsuits that can be worn to glamorous events.

Whether long or short, casual or formal, vintage and designer pants and other clothing on 1stDibs will have the perfect fit.