{"product_id":"the-master-of-us-all-balenciaga-his-workrooms-his-world","title":"The Master of Us All: Balenciaga  His Workrooms  His World","description":"\u003cp\u003eA sparkling life of the monumental fashion designer Cristbal Balenciaga When Cristbal Balenciaga died in 1972  the news hit the front page of The New York Times. One of the most innovative and admired figures in the history of haute couture  Balenciaga was  said Schiaparelli  \"the only designer who dares do what he likes.\" He was  said Christian Dior \"the master of us all.\" But despite his extraordinary impact  Balenciaga was a man hidden from view. Unlike todays celebrity designers  he saw to it that little was known about him  to the point that some French journalists wondered if he existed at all. Even his most notable and devoted clientsMarlene Dietrich  Barbara Hutton  a clutch of Rothschildsnever met him. But one woman knew Balenciaga very well indeed. The first person he hired when he opened his Paris house (then furnished with only a table and a stool) was Florette Chelot  who became his top vendeuseas much an adviser as a saleswoman. She witnessed the spectacular success of his first collection  and they worked closely for more than thirty years  until 1968  when Balenciaga abruptly closed his house without telling any of his staff. Youth-oriented fashion was taking over  Paris was in upheaval  and the elder statesman wanted no part of it. In The Master of Us All   Mary Blume tells the remarkable story of the man and his house through the eyes of the woman who knew him best. Intimate and revealing  this is an unprecedented portrait of a designer whose vision transformed an industry but whose story has never been told until now.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44963159638069,"sku":"ByrdShop_0374298734","price":42.17,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780374298739.jpg?v=1770408089","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-master-of-us-all-balenciaga-his-workrooms-his-world","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}