Tailored suit

Consists of jacket, bodice, skirt, blouse and boned guipure lace collar with a frill. The long jacket extends below the hip, and has a tuxedo collar, long sleeves and buttons at the front. The V-neck bodice has long sleeves, gathered at the cuffs in a pleat. The bias-cut skirt is long, gathered at the back and straight at the front. The blouse is made of black silk crepe.

This is the oldest known model to date made by Balenciaga. The couturier’s training and his mastery in dressmaking from a tender age are evident in this tailored suit worn by Salvadora Egaña Balenciaga on her honeymoon. This balanced, simple garment maintains the characteristics of the modernist suits of the turn of the century, in which the waist and the collar were stiffened with boning, creating a silhouette of sinuous contours. Nonetheless, this suit exemplifies the practical fashion trend originating in England, in which the tailored suit became the perfect ally for journeys, morning walks and for women who were beginning to enter the workforce.