HOW DO YOU DISTIL a 30-year career that forever changed fashion into six episodes of television? This was the question facing the creators of Cristóbal Balenciaga, an original drama series set to arrive on Disney+ on 19 January. Inspired by the life and work of its titular character, the series spans five decades, beginning in the 1970s as Balenciaga – notoriously publicity-shy – agrees to give an interview to Prudence Glynn, a journalist who became the very first fashion editor at The Times.
He recounts to her his 30 years in Paris, which began in 1937 when he arrived after fleeing the Spanish Civil War to join the exclusive world of French haute couture. While there’s undoubtedly a challenge in depicting his rich, often complicated life, perhaps more pressing is the question of just how to replicate some of the most famous clothes in fashion history?
The answer, as it turns out, is to hire Bina Daigeler, the Academy Award-nominated costume designer behind Tár and Mrs America. ‘I was really nervous because Balenciaga is just such an iconic designer,’ Daigeler says. ‘There are pieces that are so special, the way they’re constructed, that it was a huge challenge to live up to this haute couture moment we wanted to show.’ And show it they do – the clouds of silk taffeta and puffs of chiffon make you feel like you can almost touch them.
As Balenciaga arrives in Paris after years of creating clothes for Spain’s elite, he struggles to find his footing in a world dominated by the likes of Coco Chanel. But the most striking aspect of the Balenciaga collections we see from the start is that they all feel fiercely modern.
Balenciaga’s most famous creations are on show throughout the series, as are those of Chanel and Christian Dior. Luckily, Daigeler had a strong team assisting her on the project, allowing her to focus on recreating the magic. ‘Finding the rig
