I Feel Pretty

Rachel L. Lambert Lloyd Mellon (1910-2014) was born in New York, into a prominent and wealthy family. In 1949 she married her second husband, Paul Mellon, a great philanthropist and art collector.

Always elegant (The Best Dressed List), she was dressed by the North American designer Hattie Carnegie, with whom she shared a passion for gardening.

On the latter’s death in 1956, Mrs. Mellon started her relationship with Balenciaga with the recommendation of Johnny Schlumberger.

Bunny, as she was known by those closest to her, moved in a small and select circle of friends, among whom were Jacqueline Kennedy.

She was an active figure supporting charitable causes and the philanthropy of her husband, Paul Mellon.

Dressed by Balenciaga, Mrs. Mellon was the embodiment of elegance and good taste, conveying deceptive simplicity at all times of her public and private life.

Mrs. Mellon became a trendsetter, dressed by the pacesetter of Haute Couture. Despite the fact that both were people who guarded their privacy and shunned public life, it was commonplace to find their names together in the press of the time.

"She was very bright, she had that extraordinary eye and extraordinary curiosity, she wasn't superficial. She was charming looking but she wasn't a beauty. She had a good figure and dressed well, she always looked attractive" remembered Babs Simpson.

The Mellon couple’s passion for collecting was obvious throughout the 60s, showing each one’s taste in art. In April 1963 they were named “Collectors of the Year” by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Rachel Mellon, in her personal collection, accumulated works by Giacometti, Braque, Bonnard and Rothko, also surrounding herself with all sorts of treasures, in furniture, craftwork, books and clothing thanks to her demanding and special sense of proportion and beauty.

"The Mellon's flowers are not reserved exclusively for the Mellons and their friends" said the editor of Women’s Wear Daily. Floral aspects surround Mrs. Mellon, in all expressions: from the jewellery by Jean Schlumberger, which she wears at social events...

...to the models she selects at the Balenciaga maison, where embroidery, brocades and floral prints are a constant.

"His daywear designs were perfectly suited to the lives of his clients", recalled Rachel L. Mellon, understanding Balenciaga's philosophy, the relationship of the space between the body and the garment.

And in turn, Balenciaga’s proposals naturally fit in with the atmosphere Mrs. Mellon looked for when decorating her houses: intimate and eclectic, with pieces by artisans made expressly for her, and important works of art.

Balenciaga produced, exclusively for her, different tunics and comfortable garments for wearing when doing what she loved most, tending to the gardens of her homes, and at other more private times, and equally quotidian.

"Balenciaga understood my love of fashion, my admiration and appreciation of the design, the fabric and the colours, not forgetting my life and the many demands it involved”, in words of Rachel L. Mellon.

And although the house protocol established three fittings with every model, Mrs. Mellon’s orders were so great in number that her presence was replaced with a mannequin made to her exact measurements to enable a perfect fitting.

Comfort, simplicity and elegance were the characteristics sought by Mrs. Mellon, and this would lead her to buy models, independently of the seasons, guided by her own taste,...

... with the repeated purchase of a same model on up to seven occasions or, as in this case, acquiring 3 of the 4 prints offered by the maison.

The study of the commercial correspondence between Mrs. Mellon and the Balenciaga maison (128 invoices relating to her 12 years as a client) shows that original models were altered to suit her taste, or that models from other seasons were made for her.

In the 1960 winter collection, the house presented model 210 as an evening dress in yellow faille with chenille embroidery by Lesage. This model was selected by Mlle. Renée for Mrs. Mellon...

... making the appropriate changes for the exclusive lady’s style. A deshabillé embroidered with purple chenille was one of her exquisite acquisitions for an event held at one of her homes.

Apart from their economic value, her purchases brought the Balenciaga maison much greater immaterial value in the shape of prestige and brand image, given that Bunny was an influential motivator in American high society, which admired her elegance and style.

Although all clients of the Balenciaga house received formal letters as a token of attentive and exquisite attention, few of those sent out carried an affectionate greeting in the designer’s own handwriting.

The passion for gardens and flowers, shared by both, is the reason why Balenciaga sends Mrs. Mellon postcards while enjoying a few days of leisure in Gerona, especially at Cap Roig, surrounded by the marvellous gardens created by Mr. and Mrs. Woevodsky.

This special relationship of lasting friendship prompted Mrs. Mellon to describe the last time she saw Balenciaga in his atelier:

The night before he closed his shop in Paris, I sat with him in the late afternoon in his third floor atelier. Always aware of the details, he said "the shoulders of your dress need adjustment. Leave it to me tonight and I will send it to you tomorrow".