Positive and negative space
Linear colouringHaute couture fashion giants Balenciaga, plus Paris Fashion Week equals a match made in heaven. Ultimate setting accompanied by ultimate style, Balenciaga’s new line for Autumn/ Winter 2010 is truly gorgeous. The range of colours used do not seem to centralize any theme or notion around the work, instead they boost the already prominent horizontal lines of the finery.
Negative and positive spacing is more of a prompt than a technique. It allows a maker to constantly review and assess decisions based around the rules great aesthetics require. Balenciaga’s latest work is a prime example of this.
A common misjudgement is that vertical lines deem you thinner, whereas horizontal lines widen the wearer. Clearly this not true. Nicoloas Ghesquiere (the creative director at Balenciaga) is building his own legacy season by season. Dubbed “truly original” by a mass of critics after his ready-to-wear collection in 2006, Ghesquire is consistently presenting new clothing directions for his audiences. Dior called Cristobal Balenciaga “the master of us all”… a massive title for a massive company, but with gorgeous garments like these, it’s easy to see why.
- George Harman