Earlier this month, Balenciaga held its second haute couture showing under creative director Demna who had revived it to much fanfare last year – effectively breaking the house’s 53-year-long couture lull.
Held at Balenciaga’s historical 10 Avenue George V building in Paris, the collection, officially titled as the 51st Couture Collection, featured neoprene suits, dramatically cinched waists and ball-worthy gowns. Not to mention the star-studded model cast that included Kim Kardashian, Nicole Kidman and Dua Lipa which got Twitterverse buzzing.

The newly renovated space at 10 Avenue George V is dedicated to preserving Balenciaga’s heritage in its original couture location which was first opened in 1937.
The newly refreshed space, first opened by Cristobal Balenciaga in 1937 before it was closed in 1968, now boasts a retail store on the ground floor while the upper storey is reserved for salon viewings and the Balenciaga ateliers.
Separated into his and hers departments, the boutique combines heritage with futurism. It is surrounded by a mirror-like tinted glass wrapped in a metal frame to create an illusion that the display pieces inside thecases are levitating. The handrails of the stairway leading up to the ateliers, meanwhile, carry curlicue accents from Balenciaga’s couture archives to echo the historical eminence of the space.

The glass display cases are lined with vacuum-formed aluminium and slide open with just a single touch, thanks to the motorised compression system.
A section named 10 Avenue George V offers an exclusive selection of pieces that can be altered by hand, aluminium-bonded shirts, various outerwear crafted with upcycled garments and dresses with intricate embroidery detailing. And if ready-to-wear is not what you’re after, then a selection of Balenciaga Objects that’s sold only at this store might be worth noting.
For anyone travelling to Paris, 10 Avenue George V is definitely a must-stop. It is opened from Tuesday to Friday, from 11am to 7pm, and on Monday and Saturday via appointments.