Cristóbal Balenciaga closes his couture house in 1968 aged 74, abruptly, saying true couture had become impossible as houses turned to ready-to-wear; Mona von Bismarck reportedly stays in her room in Capri for three days; he dies four years later
Balenciaga's spring 2027 collection, Pierpaolo Piccioli's, walked in Paris on 1 October and opened with couture stitching on a white shirt. In 1986 the rights were bought by Jacques Bogart, a French cosmetics and perfume group. (@balenciaga)