Meaning & use
Balenciaga
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Meanings
proper nounproper
A luxury fashion house based in Paris, started by the Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga, known for clothes, bags and shoes.
Grammar: A proper noun, so it is capitalized and normally takes no article: Balenciaga has released a new collection.
Patterns
- Balenciaga's latest collection
Balenciaga showed its new collection during Paris Fashion Week.
She saved for months to buy a pair of Balenciaga sneakers.
Many designers still study the sculptural shapes that Balenciaga introduced.
proper nounproper
The founder himself, Cristóbal Balenciaga, a Spanish couturier admired for his precise tailoring and bold silhouettes.
Grammar: Used by surname for the designer: Balenciaga reshaped the dress in the 1950s.
Balenciaga opened his first house in San Sebastián before moving to Paris.
Museums have held exhibitions of Balenciaga's elegant evening dresses.
Fellow designers admired Balenciaga's skill at cutting cloth.
nouncountableinformal
A garment or accessory made by this fashion house.
Grammar: Informal use as a countable noun: she wore a Balenciaga to the party.
Patterns
- wear a Balenciaga
She carried a Balenciaga that cost more than a month's rent.
He spotted a vintage Balenciaga in the resale shop.
Everyone at the gala seemed to be in a Balenciaga.
Word forms
| plural | Balenciagas |
|---|
Common combinations
- Balenciaga bag
- Her Balenciaga bag was the star of the outfit.
- Balenciaga sneakers
- He wore chunky Balenciaga sneakers to the concert.
- Balenciaga collection
- The latest Balenciaga collection mixed tailoring with streetwear.
- Balenciaga runway show
- The Balenciaga runway show was held in a huge hall.
- vintage Balenciaga
- The museum displays vintage Balenciaga from the 1950s.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fashion house
- A fashion house is the general term for any company that designs luxury clothing, while Balenciaga names one specific house.
- couture house
- A couture house makes custom clothing by hand, a narrower label than Balenciaga, which also sells ready-to-wear goods.
Practice
Which of these best describes Balenciaga?
Choose one answer.
Balenciaga is a luxury fashion house known for clothes, shoes and handbags. The other options name unrelated industries that a careless reader might guess from the Spanish-sounding name.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Balenciaga”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.