C R I S T O B A L'S B A L E N C I A G A - THE V&A, CENTRAL LONDON

To say Balenciaga is at the top of its game, is an understatement. The spanish house de couture has the fashion industry transfixed, with fun twists on the Bernie Sanders campaign slogans, knife sock booties and flamboyant clashing of colours. Needless to say, by making the present and future the focal point of the industry, we run the risk of masking Balenciaga's paramount history. The V&A museum's highly anticipated display in central London has ensured that this risk is unable to become a reality.

'Balenciaga: shaping fashion' was announced last year, with the exhibition active from May 2017 to February 2018. The famed museum adopts a retrospective perspective of Cristobal Balenciaga's impact upon the industry. Balenciaga was founded in 1919, Spain.

Upon reviewing this display in person, the exhibition places considerable influence upon the silhouettes that have moulded the interpretations of fashion in the present day.

From the images above, it is clear that early Balenciaga's inspiration has been drawn from the intricacy of Japanese silhouettes. The structuring of the gowns above have certainly have an air of orientalism, resembling the Yukata or Kimono. Indeed, it can be argued these dresses take on the visage of the rose, at a time where traditional femininity was championed.

Throughout the exhibition there is also considerable emphasis on the possible origins of Cristobal's designs and how these were taken and transformed to become fit for the House de Balenciaga. Upon further inspection, a plethora of other fabrics and shapes connoting African quintessence are also present within the nature of the designs.

The notion of flora and fauna is a central theme as displayed above. The compilation of these differing elements, culminates to produce a transfixing but also an unsettling creation with the little intricacies you would expect from Balenciaga. Each hat seems to derive from an uncommon origin, giving insight into the how the eclecticism of the industry would continue to cultivate.

Further displays within the exhibition taken by me. Note the nature of the silhouettes and fabrics.

This exhibition is an unmissable opportunity for both fashion enthusiasts and the general public to not only explore the development of the enduring luxury powerhouse, but also discover the context of early-Balenciaga and the industry that encompasses it. Tickets are £12 and valid until February 18th 2018.