Suit jacket
Christóbal Balenciaga (1895 - 1972)
Category
Costume
Date
1966
Materials
Silk
Measurements
585 mm (L); 320 mm (L)
Place of origin
Madrid
Order this imageCollection
Dudmaston, Shropshire
NT 814783
Caption
Eisa may not be a household name today, but Balenciaga may be more familiar as the eponymous fashion house of the Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga, who launched his career in 1919 and quickly became celebrated for his elegant and avant-garde designs. The Spanish Civil War (1936–9) compelled the relocation of his business to Paris, where it attracted a glittering array of high-profile clients, including celebrities and European royalty. Eisa was the name of Balenciaga’s first boutique and, even with the rise of his fashion house, he continued to run the brand as a more affordable and accessible alternative. After his move to Paris, Eisa boutiques were an important link to his homeland and his Spanish clientele. As wife to the British ambassador in Spain, Rachel Hamilton-Russell, Lady Labouchere (1908–96), would have had to navigate diplomatic relations under General Franco’s dictatorship. She owned several Eisa pieces and wearing them to public events would have been tactful, as Balenciaga himself was a favourite designer of the Franco family, having designed the wedding dress of Franco’s granddaughter. Helen Antrobus
Summary
Royal blue and black silk suit with jacket and suit: printed with repeated leaf sprig design.
Provenance
Bought in Madrid by Lady Labouchere (b.1908) and worn in Spain and after 1966.
Marks and inscriptions
EISA
Makers and roles
Christóbal Balenciaga (1895 - 1972)
References
Antrobus and Slocombe 2025: Helen Antrobus and Emma Slocombe, 100 Things to Wear: Fashion from the collections of the National Trust, National Trust 2025, pp. 194-195.