1950s Balenciaga Jacket

The young Cristobal Balenciaga opened Eisa in San Sebastian in 1919, named for his mother who was a dressmaker. The Spanish civil war forced him to close Eisa in 1937, so he moved to Paris to start the House of Balenciaga. At the end of the war in 1939, he reopened Eisa, with two more shops in Spain where it produced haute couture until 1968.

The Balenciaga sketches below illustrate a jacket with a similar look, dating to 1947, but I think this may date to the mid 1950s

The color is a true, rich black. I had to lighten the pictures a bit to show the amzing details. The fabric is a rich woven wool that is substantial, but not heavy
The cut is somewhere between a matador and barrel style, both were very popular with Balenciaga. The raglan sleeve also has echos of a kimono sleeve as it is very deep and exagerated coming up very low on the shoulder to the end of the notched collar. The modest lapel is sewn to the coat with a simple stich. There is a diamond shaped gusset under the arms. The point of one end travels under the sleeve, the other point comes down the back of the jacket creating the pointed detail at the small of the back. The fabric below the point is the same panel that makes up the front of the jacket. Just an amazing creation.

The silk lining has the same composition, and echos the lines. The jacket closes with one simple button.