"A good couturier must be an architect for design, a sculptor for shape, a painter for colour, a musician for harmony and a philosopher for temperance". Cristóbal Balenciaga. This was the profession of faith of the man whom Dior called the master of us all'. Strict, even ascetic, Balenciaga was, with Chanel, Dior and Schiaparelli, one of the icons of the golden age of haute couture. The care he took with a garment's construction, the perfection of his cut, his choice of materials, textures and colours, including an intense black, gave his vision of fashion and refinement a singular distinction, that became the fashion house's famous signature. Having presented his last collection in February 1968, Balenciaga decided to close his salons and to return to live in the country of his birth, Spain. Thirty years later, Nicolas Ghesquière re-established the artistic direction of the house, giving the venture once thought to be finished a new lease of life. Universally acclaimed for his freshness of vision, sobriety and a rigour that recalls that of his predecessor, Ghesquière is considered one of the most important creative personalities at work today. Published to coincide with an exhibition organized by the Musée de la Mode et du Textile in Paris, Balenciaga Paris pays homage to this unique fashion enterprise, covering both stellar periods of the house - a span of some 75 years.