So I finally made it to the Balenciaga exhibit at the de Young on Saturday. The exhibit is still on through July 4 and is well worth the $25 entry fee (and you get to see the Picasso as well, if you like that grumpy bastard). [Sorry, folks, that I didn't make an official Dress A Day outing of it … I tend not go to museums with large groups; I turn into a Girl Scout Leader and worry too much about everyone having a good time to enjoy it myself. So if I really want to see something I go alone, or with someone I know very well.]

This was probably my favorite, in terms of a straight-up "oh I want to wear that!" reaction:

The whole show was very inspiring. The volume, the colors, the … "thematic cohesion" of Balenciaga's work (the only think I can think to call it) were motivating. It's fascinating to see how someone plays through the variations of a couple of key ideas. Balenciaga wasn't all over the place. He put stakes in the ground, did our Cristóbal, and when he was tired he just stopped. 

I could have sworn that there were some Balenciaga Vogue Couturier patterns, but the Vintage Pattern wiki only turned up these two. Am I hallucinating? 

There's also a book. Although I'm slightly confused (but even more tickled!) by the blurb at the bottom of the page there, which talks about Balenciaga's "genius for fir". 

(There's a nice video clip of a Balenciaga salon show at the AdvancedStyle blog, too.)