Abstract

This article offers data, hitherto unpublished, about the professional life of Cristóbal Balenciaga during the years following the official announcement of his retirement from the world of fashion in May 1968. These are contributions that help understand some of the issues that are reflected, either in the words of the journalist, or in those of the designer himself in the interview he granted to Prudence Glynn of The Times in August 1971, and that the newspaper decided to publish under the surprising heading of “Balenciaga and la vie d’un chien,” taking the same expression used by the designer himself during the interview. This interview has transcended to this very day as a singular chapter in the biography of Balenciaga, since the granting of interviews was quite unusual throughout his life and, taking into account this peculiar headline, which serves as a shocking expression that corresponded to the aura of enigma that hung over Balenciaga. However, and in light of the new data provided, the designer expressed himself in the context of the experience he lived until his retirement, and especially in the context of realities he was suffering precisely during that August of 1971.

The information provided comes from research in Spanish and French archives, in national and international newspapers, as well as interviews with people who belonged to the Balenciaga circle during their final years of his life.

摘要

这篇文章提供了迄今为止未发表的数据，介绍了 Cristóbal Balenciaga 在 1968 年 5 月正式宣布退出时尚界后几年的职业生涯。这些贡献有助于理解所反映的一些问题，无论是在记者的话，或设计师本人在1971 年 8 月接受《泰晤士报》的Prudence Glynn 采访时所说的话，并且该报决定以“ Balenciaga 和 la vie d'un chien，”采用了设计师本人在采访中使用的相同表达方式。直到今天，这次采访已经超越了 Balenciaga 传记中的一个单独章节，因为在他的一生中接受采访是非常不寻常的，考虑到这个奇特的标题，它作为一种令人震惊的表达方式与悬在 Balenciaga 头上的谜团。然而，根据提供的新数据，设计师在他退休前的经历中表达了自己，尤其是在 1971 年 8 月他正遭受痛苦的现实背景下。

所提供的信息来自对西班牙和法国档案馆、国内和国际报纸的研究，以及在他生命的最后几年对属于 Balenciaga 圈子的人的采访。