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If I ever win the lottery or find myself with too much money to spend, the first place I would head to for a major shopping spree would be a Balenciaga flagship. This is probably my favorite fashion house, not just because I have a thing for the motorcycle bags, but because Nicolas Ghesquière's masterpieces range from vintage elegance to cool biker chic. The flagship in Paris, originally opened on 1937, now consists of 2 boutiques which are connected by an underground "pool passage". The design is futuristic and very minimalistic - it even features a cave with animated asteroids!
The store on the left features men's ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as the women's capsule collections such as "Balenciaga Edition", "Balenciaga Knitwear" and a few "Balenciaga T's". The knitwear and t-shirt lines are slightly more affordable, while the edition line is based on the original iconic designs from Cristobal Balenciaga's archives (and are very not-affordable pour moi) such as the b&w dress, see below. Other eye-catchers included a loose-fitting ivory gown and black balloon-skirted dresses.
The boutique next door is where you'll find the majority of the current mainline collection (a mix of beautifully draped tops and rock 'n' roll ensembles), as well as the shoes and handbags. I was never a bag person (shoes are more my weakness), but because I have a slight obsession with the motorcycle line, I have to show a great deal of restraint whenever I browse this section. Thankfully I'm not into the (Pre)SS09 colors as much - hues range from rosey pink (framboise) to a light turquoise (maldives), but this season's gladiator shoes look very tempting...
One more thing: the staff is the friendliest I have encountered when it comes to designer boutiques. This also goes for the Balenciaga staff in Printemps and Galeries Lafayette. Don't hesitate to ask them for different colours, sizes or old stock, because they are incredibly helpful and will go out of their way to check the inventory for you.
Address: 10 avenue George V, 75008 Paris
Opening Hrs: Mon-Sat: 10:00-19:00
Balenciaga Homepage & Online Shop (US & UK only)
Desperately looking for an outfit from the Balenciaga SS2010 collection! Is there anywhere that I can find it? Live in the Aberdeen, Scotland area. Would happily buy as I know my Balenciaga sizes!!! Please, please help.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous: You should contact the Balenciaga boutique in London (check the Balenciaga homepage for the phone number). If they don't have it, they'll likely be able to source it for you and they'll ship it to you via a courier. If you need the name of a good SA, please send me an email (see the 'contact' section in the left sidebar). Balenciaga Paris, Cannes and Milan deliver as well, but it would probably be cheapest if you tried the London store first.
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteI have been looking for a Balenciaga black quilted moto in a size 38 but cannot find one as they appear to have sold out....any ideas where I can find one? (I have tried Bal in Uk and various stores in USA, ebay, hgbags on line, but not anywhere else in Europe)
many thanks