It was once said, When a woman wearing Balenciaga walks into a room there is no other woman there. His clothes were so elegant, grand and perfectly made, he alone was known as "The Master".

Cristobel Balenciaga was born to humble parents in 1885 in Guetaria, Spain. His father was a sailor who died young and his mother was a dressmaker. His deftness and skill in making clothes was evident from an early age.

In 1897, he was apprenticed to a tailor in San Sebastian. The following year, as a 13 year old, he befriended the beautiful Marquessa de Casa Torres who allowed him access to her wardrobe and entrusted him to make a copy of one of her dresses.

In 1902 he moved to Bordeaux to learn French. In 1903 he started work for Calle de Hernani who made gowns.

In 1919 he opened his first salon in San Sebastian, then a second and a third in Madrid in 1933. In 1935, he opened his salon in Barcelona.

When the Spanish civil war began in 1937, Balenciaga moved to Paris. He was not well known but within a year his dresses were seen on all the fashionable women.

Balenciaga always seemed to be ahead of other designers. Vogue said he had the "Flame of Prophecy".

In the 30s many of his jersey draped dresses looked towards the 40s silhouette. By the 40s he was showing a suit with no waist which became the "sack". He was the first, in 1957, to bare the leg to the knee, long before the mini appeared.

Balenciaga hated the fashion press and publicity and, in 1957, barred them entry to his collections. He held his shows a full month after everyone else. He refined his ideas with each collection, increasing the level of excellence. He trained Givenchy, Courreges, Ungaro and others and, even now, they regard him as their mentor.