Cristobal Balenciaga and Nicolas GhesquiereA year before the designer’s final collection, Cristóbal Balenciaga introduced his single-seam wedding dress in 1967. Balenciaga would take cues from the period’s affinity for futuristic cuts and tech fabrics, and in this case, reappropriated them into the unlikeliest of places, the traditional white wedding dress. With just one seam, the dress suggests it was born, rather than made, void of any elements that reveal the adroit human hands responsible for its existence. A similarly smooth monastic-like hood replaced the obvious white lace veil, making for a complete space age bride. In 2008, then-Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquière looked to the house’s archives and reintroduced the mod headpiece for the brand’s SS 2008 collection. Four years later, the habit-like hat was once again brought back to life by Ghesquière for Balenciaga’s SS 2012 show, this time, however, the hood was offered up as a visor and was immediately stopped atop the heads of several daring fashion week fixtures.


Single-seam Wedding Gown by Cristóbal Balenciaga, 1967

Jennifer Connolly for Balenciaga, SS 2008

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