The Grand Hotel: Balenciaga at the Hotel de Ville

"People come, people go.  Nothing ever changes."  Dr Otternschlag.  From the 1932 film Grand Hotel.

But in fashion, people do come and people do go.  Ghesquiere, the admired designer for the house of Balenciaga suddenly left after an extremely successful Spring 2013 show and there was much shock when Alexander Wang, the Amercian designer of the perfect, cool slouchy t shirt, was given the position just vacated by Ghesquiere.

I personally adored Nicholas Ghesquiere and regard him as one of the few creative geniuses working in fashion design today.  A few of my favorites:

Who can forget?  The loose cargo pants, the patchwork vest?  Every girl was obsessed!  And still looks so modern and cool.

Balenciaga Spring 2002

The jellyfish dress in seafoam green:

Balenciaga Fall 2003

The chain entwined dress:

Balenciaga Fall 2004

Another slouchy pant.  Another must have.  I remember I snagged mine at Barneys away from Lindsay Lohan when she was still a promising ingenue.

I loved this and was a tad shocked to discover that the retail price was over $30,000 : (

Alexander Wang's debut for the house of Balenciaga was called a prelude.  It was a prelude with a past.  Wang referenced wanted to reference "the codes of the house while translating them into a full functioning wardrobe".  I am not entirely without hope...

Alexander Wang for Balenciaga Fall 2013

Alexander Wang for Fall 2013

And amidst people coming, people going, pieces by the original Master, Crisobal Balenciaga, are on view at L'Hotel de Ville in Paris in Olivier Saillard's exhibit Paris Haute Couture:

Paris Haute Couture

March 2nd 2013 - July 6th 2013

Hotel de Ville

The Quiet Man: Raf Simons for Christian Dior

In a bleu salon with walls completely blanketed in blue delphinium flowers

Raf Simons ushered in a new era for the House of Christian Dior with an elegant hush.  

I love, love, love this look.  I love the precision.  The understatement that is a statement in itself.  The chrome belt.  The embroidered shoes with the low heel.  So elegant.  You would have this forever...

Even a bit of embroidered frivolité was done with a quiet restraint.

Super chic

Feeling bleu 

A modern look for evening

And a nod to Monsieur Dior...

Before it was on Wallis

Before it was on Wallis, it was in Vogue.

The famous Schiaparelli white organza Dali lobster print gown.

Yesterday in Paris, at the start of the haute couture shows, Maison Schiaparelli reopened in its original site on the Place Vendome.   

Instagram photo from Style.com of the newly reopened Maison Schiaparelli

The new Maison Schiaparelli, redesigned by Vincent Darré, is reportedly full of color including of course, shocking pink and details that are iconic and representative of Schiaparelli.  So now the house has a home and an ambassador (Farida Khelfa) and we just have to wait to see who the designer will be...  I know who I would like to see in Schiap's monkey furred booties...