1937 Paris is the home of Haute Couture where the greatest designers
are defining fashion for the rest of the world.
Cristóbal, son of a fisherman and a seamstress from Getaria,
moved here with a dream: to become one of the great masters of Haute Couture.
This series is inspired by his story.
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYS)
(PRIEST TALKING IN FRENCH)
COCO CHANEL'S FUNERAL PARIS, JANUARY 1971
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS)
(PRIEST CONTINUES TALKING)
(BELLS RING)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
-MAN: A photo? -RAMÓN: Don't, please.
Monsieur Balenciaga.
(IN SPANISH) I'm glad to see you.
Hello.
PRUDENCE: Although many doubted you,
I knew you wouldn't skip it.
Why would I skip it?
After the disagreement between you and Chanel...
(IN FRENCH) Stop, Coco.
PRUDENCE: Fashion is no longer what it used to be.
All the great ones are leaving us.
Don't you think it's time for you to talk?
CRISTÓBAL: I already gave Paris Match an interview when I retired.
PRUDENCE: Well, yes, but it was very brief.
You've been retired for three years, so you can talk with no burden.
CRISTÓBAL: No, thank you. Don't insist, please.
I already said so last time. If you'll excuse me.
Oh, come on, Mr. Balenciaga.
Let us glimpse a little beyond the mystery that surrounds you.
If you change your mind.
I think I'm going to say yes.
You're still thinking about that?
What do you think?
I already told you, I agree.
Prudence Glynn is a very reputable journalist in England.
No! I won't do it.
(SIGHS)
CRISTÓBAL'S IGELDO HOUSE SAN SEBASTIÁN, JUNE 1971
CRISTÓBAL: Good afternoon.
-RAMÓN (IN ENGLISH): Hello. -PRUDENCE: Hi.
PRUDENCE (IN SPANISH): First of all, I'd like to thank you
for giving me the opportunity to interview you.
To be honest, I thought you weren't going to accept my request.
Oh... No, no. No recordings, please.
It'll be for personal use, it won't be featured anywhere.
I'd rather not. I don't like having my voice recorded.
Why? It would be for personal use only.
Yes, but I'd know there's a recording of my voice
somewhere in the world, and...
The thing is, I don't want to make any mistakes
and twist your words.
I promise you, I'll destroy it later.
Very well. But, please, destroy it after transcribing it.
Okay.
Well... go ahead.
I've never done this before, I don't know what you want me to say.
Actually, I'm interested in your beginnings in Paris.
FIRST COLLECTION SHOWCASE PARIS, AUGUST 1937
PRUDENCE: You arrived after leaving behind the Civil War in Spain, right?
The Civil War.
Let's see if I remember...
Wladzio and I arrived in Paris in January 1937,
and by the start of August, we were already showcasing
our first haute couture collection.
Everything was too fast.
-(IN FRENCH) Excuse me. Thank you. -Careful!
-The earrings? -With that necklace.
Could you come, please?
-Colette. -I'm coming!
Quickly, Colette.
-Go. -WOMAN: Colette, now.
(ATOMIZER SPRITZING)
CRISTÓBAL (IN SPANISH): It all happened so quickly.
We should have worked more with the models.
(IN FRENCH) Come on, quickly.
CRISTÓBAL: Suzanne, separate the dresses
16, 18, 36, 37,
53, 109.
We have to finish them up.
CRISTÓBAL (IN SPANISH): The show starts in an hour.
Relax.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
FLORETTE (IN FRENCH): Mrs. Ballard, how nice to see you.
It is an honor that Vogue is interested in our first showcase.
My pleasure.
FLORETTE: Welcome.
It's an evening dress, it ends the show.
Yes, but I need your approval.
Walk, please.
(SIGHS)
Come close.
Cristóbal, don't...
CRISTÓBAL: It's crooked.
Look at this fold, here.
We have to sew it again.
(GRUNTS)
(IN SPANISH) We don't have time.
-We don't. -TAILOR (IN FRENCH) Come.
(IN SPANISH) This happens when you leave things for the last minute.
Sew it again.
WLADZIO: But Cristóbal, the sleeve was all right.
FLORETTE (IN FRENCH): Ladies, gentlemen, the showcase is about to begin.
(COUGHS)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(IN FRENCH) Number one.
(TRANSLATES IN ENGLISH)
(IN FRENCH) Number two.
(TRANSLATES IN ENGLISH)
(IN FRENCH) Number three.
(TRANSLATES IN ENGLISH)
(IN FRENCH) Number four.
(TRANSLATES IN ENGLISH)
(IN FRENCH) Number 107.
(TRANSLATES IN ENGLISH)
CRISTÓBAL (IN FRENCH): So?
I couldn't say.
They're very serious, and a gentleman left.
You see this? It's all wrong.
The sleeves are identical.
-No, they aren't. -(IN FRENCH) Number 108.
(TRANSLATES IN ENGLISH)
(IN FRENCH) There's a fold here, understand?
I'll handle it, go.
Cristóbal.
There's no time.
The show is ending. It's now or never.
(BREATHES DEEPLY)
Ready? Breathe...
(APPLAUSE)
WLADZIO (IN SPANISH): Well, looks like they liked it.
Hmm. Yeah.
Come on, go talk to people.
I'm not coming out.
WLADZIO (IN FRENCH): Thank you for coming, Mrs. Ballard.
Mr. D'Attainville, everything looks in place.
I heard you handled the decorations.
-Yes, do you like it? -Very much.
And what do you think of the collection?
Well...
take it as constructive criticism.
I don't want to sound arrogant,
but I think it lacks some personality.
-Personality? -Yes.
Yes, maybe I expected too much.
This is Paris, it's hard to stand out,
-but you need... -BIZKARRONDO AND VIRGILIA: Hi.
May I introduce you to Nicolás Bizkarrondo.
-Nice to meet you. -And his wife, Virgilia Mendizábal.
-Main shareholders of the Maison. -Congratulations.
A great collection.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
WLADZIO (IN SPANISH): Do you think we've been reckless
by involving ourselves with Virgilia and Nicolás?
CRISTÓBAL: Why?
I don't know...
I'm not sure they're the right associates.
Don't misunderstand, I like them...
but things work differently here.
Everything about fashion is more sophisticated.
But I'd rather surround myself with people I agree with
than with "sophisticated" people. What can I say?
I'm just saying, if we had waited a bit in Paris,
surely we would have found someone with experience and contacts.
Someone who could have added to the company,
beyond their money.
What if that someone never appears?
I have no doubt, they would appear.
There isn't that much talent in high fashion.
And you have it, obviously.
(GLASS CLATTERS SOFTLY)
(DEEP SIGH)
I wish I were like you.
What do you mean?
Like this.
So confident.
I can't permit a lack of confidence.
(LAUGHS)
(TEASINGLY) "Hello, Nicolás. How are you?"
(LAUGHTER)
-I don't talk like that. -You do!
-No! -When you're with Bizkarrondo,
you lower your voice as if you were manlier.
-That's not true! -(LAUGHTER)
You do, and not just with Bizkarrondo, you do it with others too.
I didn't know.
Well, you do.
You can't see your own mannerisms either.
What mannerisms?
Nothing important.
(MOANING)
RAMÓN: Cristóbal...
Cristóbal?
Sorry.
I... I lost track of what I was saying.
You were telling me about your business partner.
Yes... Nicolás Bizkarrondo.
Nicolás was a republican engineer
who had openly spoken against Franco.
He and his wife, Virgilia Mendizábal, had to go into exile in Paris,
and decided to invest in the Maison.
They both were a great support.
BIZKARRONDO: Let's toast to the show.
It went very well.
(SINGING IN BASQUE) ♪ Clink, clink, clink ♪
♪ The beautiful sound ♪
♪ Of money... ♪
(IN SPANISH) Nicolás, don't force the enthusiasm.
BIZKARRONDO: People clapped happily.
And we've been promised good reviews, there's no reason to be sad.
Careful, Nicolás.
BIZKARRONDO: That's what Ballard told you, right?
Yes, yes. But what they tell you to your face is one thing,
and what they later write is another.
Until I see it published...
BIZKARRONDO: You know this world better than I do.
Can you believe it?
Almost 50 years old, and now I have to learn like a kid.
That's how exile works.
We're beginners, but we're not.
In a country where people eat at 12:30.
(LAUGHTER)
Don't get all nostalgic again.
I left Paris to be in San Sebastián for 12 years,
and I didn't complain once.
You spoke about Paris all day long.
Besides, it's not the same, there was no war in France.
BIZKARRONDO: Wladzio is right.
We're here now, so we have to move forward.
Besides, I'm eager to learn.
I know all about business, but I admit that all this is new for me.
-I'm here for Virgilia. -Hey.
You're here because you want to, you'll be responsible if it goes wrong.
(LAUGHTER)
But I'll be here by your side. And if you need my help, ask for it.
Don't hesitate.
(IN BASQUE) Thank you, Nicolás.
(IN SPANISH) I'd never heard of them before.
Yes, well, because things didn't end too well
between us.
They didn't?
I see you have papers from those days.
Oh, yes.
They're reviews for the first collection.
-Do you mind if I read them? -No.
"Balenciaga succeeds, thanks to..."
FLORETTE (IN FRENCH): "...the simplicity of his lines
and the absence of superficial elements."
Women's Wear Daily, on the cover.
(IN SPANISH) "Balenciago," they changed your name.
Yes, I remember.
PRUDENCE: I'll keep reading.
(IN FRENCH) They changed your name.
Did they really spell it like "Balenciago"?
"Elegant dresses with sophisticated simplicity.
The birds are a fun feature on the evening hats.
A model..."
(IN SPANISH) "...a model was wearing some sort of dove
on her head."
(IN FRENCH) It's great, isn't it? Your first review, and it's on the cover.
"Sophisticated simplicity..."
(IN SPANISH) Is that good?
That's what you've always defended.
Please, Wladzio! If you really like a collection,
you say it, plain and simple...
(IN FRENCH) "Prodigious," "marvelous," "great," "extraordinary."
(IN SPANISH) Or something like that.
I think the reviews have been mostly positive.
On a scale of one to ten, it's a six.
And no one will pay the amount we ask to wear a six. That's...
Don't be impatient, Cristóbal.
It's not a bad start.
Not for you, of course. The hats stand out, and you designed them.
Huh?
FLORETTE (IN FRENCH): Mrs. de Belleville, I'm Mrs. Chelot.
CRISTÓBAL: No, no, diagonally.
TAILOR: Yes.
No, not like this.
Like this, look.
Don't stab the pins so deep.
Just the tip is enough,
and it'll be easier to remove them.
And you put them in diagonally...
so as to not disturb the shape of the fabric.
Yes.
As if I were a beginner.
(IN SPANISH) What do you think?
It could be better.
Well, of course it could, it's just a test.
It'll be okay.
Yes, I know it will be fine, and the collection will be impeccable.
But it reminds me of Vionnet.
If it looks like Vionnet, it's a compliment.
Yes, but if people want a Vionnet, they'll get a Vionnet.
What do you...? What do you think could be changed?
I've heard people say that I paraded into Paris,
that I succeeded immediately.
And... looking back, I can't complain.
But then, those weeks...
after the showcase for the first collection...
They were full of uncertainty.
(IN FRENCH) Mrs. Geneive?
It's Mrs. Chelot, from the Marie-Henriette House.
You remember me, right?
As soon as I saw the collection, I thought of you.
Spanish.
It fits your style perfectly.
Balenciaga... Let me read you the reviews.
Balenciaga, with an "A."
That's right.
Only two commissions?
And the one from Wladzio's mother.
CRISTÓBAL (IN SPANISH): A showcase or a party?
Looks like it'll be a party with a showcase
for some pieces from her new collection for her friends.
So it's a party to pat her own back.
If I go, it'll be for her.
CHANEL'S PARTY
But these engagements bore me to death.
(DOORBELL RINGS)
-WLADZIO (IN FRENCH): My mother. -Isabelle, so nice to see you.
-How are you? -I'm well.
-Nervous? -No.
Talk to people today.
Be kind and interesting, gain people's love.
It'll be packed with potential clients.
-You look splendid, Mom. -I agree.
It's so flattering on me,
and it'll be great publicity.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
I'm going to show this Balenciaga around.
See you, darlings.
Of course.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(COUGHS)
I forgot my glasses, I can't see a thing.
(SIGHS)
Still, it's so obvious that they're Chanel.
I'd recognize them even if I was blind.
-MAN: Balenciaga, is it Spanish? -Yes.
MAN: How are you dealing with the Civil War? It must be horrible.
Yes, terrible. Very tough.
You fled from the war to...?
I visited the Spanish pavilion in the universal exhibition,
and Picasso's painting is amazing.
-It's called "Guernica," isn't it? -Yes.
Like the bombed village.
-They bombed a village? -Yes.
I didn't know Picasso's inspiration...
MAN: Spain's current situation...
It's so sad. Such a fascinating country.
WOMAN: Yes, it is an exciting country, I was there and...
(IN SPANISH) "The war, the great Spain."
-I'm tired of it, too. -They treat it so lightly.
They talk about the war, "Guernica" and Picasso as if they were exotic.
It's so condescending.
By the way, we should go see it at the universal exhibition.
What are you doing here, gathered like mushrooms in a forest?
Cristóbal, come with me. Coco is talking to Carmel Snow. Let's go.
-Who? -Carmel Snow.
Editor in chief of Harper's Bazaar. Very influential.
Right...
(IN BASQUE) But...
-CHANEL (IN FRENCH): It's beautiful. -Thank you.
Oh... Here's the moon.
-And the sun. -WLADZIO: How are you, Coco?
Marvelous, Coco, just marvelous, everything you've showed.
WLADZIO: Thank you for inviting us.
It was an honor to be here.
It was a pleasure, but don't forget...
This is the jungle, darlings.
Don't expect my help, we're rivals now.
Do you know high fashion's Cleopatra?
Carmel, come here for a second.
If you want to be someone in the fashion world,
you want to get along with her.
Go on, start complimenting her.
Carmel, this is Cristóbal Balenciaga.
-Nice to meet you. -It's a pleasure.
You must have forgotten, but we met
in a showcase for Vionnet and Lanvin.
Cristóbal is a great dressmaker, he makes copies
of known designers and improves them.
That was before.
Nowadays, I'm focused on completely original collections.
Yes, the syndicate have given us the green light,
and we've showcased our first collection.
CHANEL: Yes, I know.
I was joking.
-(LAUGHS) -Tell me, I'm dying to know
what your style is like.
My style?
Yes, how would you define your style?
Yes, of course.
It's a sober and elegant style,
with very few accessories.
Based mostly on the fabric.
This dress is from his latest collection.
Right...
And the dress that elegant woman is wearing, too.
It'd be better if you could see the full collection.
There's a showcase every day at Maison Balenciaga.
It would be an honor--
(CHANEL LAUGHS)
She's hammered.
It's her natural state.
Well, I need to attend to my guests.
Uh...
If you don't mind...
some advice...
prepare some words about your style, it'll be useful.
Good luck, darling.
(SIGHS)
Good.
(ENGINE HUMS)
(IN SPANISH) I don't understand her attitude.
She treated you like a nobody.
-(SIGHS) -She urged you to come to Paris.
We shouldn't have come.
We're in another league.
They're a different category.
Making good copies is one thing,
having talent and style to make unique things, that's another.
You know that, Wladzio.
That's why you're upset.
(SIGHS)
I feel bad for Nicolás and Virgilia.
WLADZIO: Cristóbal, don't get ahead of yourself.
They wanted to invest in Maison Balenciaga in Paris.
You didn't ask them or force them at all.
You and I decided to come here.
They came for political reasons.
(IN FRENCH) Number 77.
(TRANSLATES IN ENGLISH)
(TELEPHONE RINGS)
(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
-(IN FRENCH) Florette. -Yes?
Is it usually this empty?
Uh... The shopping center?
They liked what they saw at the showcase,
but they can't make up their minds.
I don't know...
Maybe we should reconsider the prices?
No, that's not the problem.
The elite don't mind paying for good quality.
They even prefer expensive prices for exclusivity.
Understood.
You know more than I do.
I heard you saw Carmel Snow.
-Did you not invite her to come? -We did.
A review from someone so influential would give us visibility.
Huh... Yes.
(IN BASQUE) We talked for a while.
There were lots of people, right?
Did they feed you?
Yes, Mom, why do you want to know that?
Jesus, son, I'm just curious.
Since we can't go to Chanel's parties...
I just want to experience that excitement.
Don't get too excited,
it was all nonsense.
Keep your feet on the ground. Stay humble.
CRISTÓBAL: Yes, Mom.
CRISTÓBAL'S MOTHER: How are the sales?
CRISTÓBAL: Well, very well.
Don't worry.
CRISTÓBAL'S MOTHER: I'm glad to hear it.
You know how things are here...
Your brother is desperate after the shut down in Madrid.
CRISTÓBAL: Yes, we speak often.
CRISTÓBAL'S MOTHER: So you'll know that they're expecting another child.
CRISTÓBAL: Another one? I didn't know.
CRISTÓBAL'S MOTHER: Yes. Their tenth child.
If Paris doesn't go well,
we're done for.
VIRGILIA: Still, it's so obvious that they're Chanel.
I'd recognize them even if I was blind.
(IN FRENCH) It's not working.
What would you change?
Everything.
-I don't love it. -There are no mistakes.
But we'll fix it, improve it.
I know it can be improved.
That's not the problem.
It's an old-fashioned line, it adds nothing to it.
You'd think they're hicks
on their way to their grandchildren's christening.
-I put a lot of time into it. -I don't care, Suzanne.
-SUZANNE: We spent hours on it. -I don't care!
Me too!
I spent hours designing it! But it doesn't work!
It's better to stop now!
SUZANNE: Let's keep working.
-Relax. -Yes.
(CRISTÓBAL BREATHING HEAVILY)
(IN SPANISH) What's wrong, Cristóbal?
It's horrifying. It has no style, no nothing...
You spend too much time here.
You need to rest.
(SIGHS)
UNIVERSAL EXHIBITION PARIS, OCTOBER 1937
Well...
I thought it would be a good idea to come here and relax.
CRISTÓBAL: You'd think they're handing out gifts.
Shall we go?
Nicolás, I want to apologize for earlier.
I'm ashamed of how I behaved.
All that screaming...
-Just terrible! -Quit that.
I've already forgotten.
I don't want you to lose any money.
(SIGHS) But... I don't know if we'll make it.
What do you think? You think I don't cover my back?
Forget it.
Focus on making the best dresses.
The rest is all decoration.
Do you think that if there was no war in Spain
there would be so many people in the Spanish pavilion?
CRISTÓBAL: Probably not.
NICOLÁS: So Spain really is trendy right now.
SPAIN SHAPES AND COSTUMES
(DOOR OPENING)
(IN FRENCH) Good morning.
So, why did you want to see me?
I'm very busy.
I'm very grateful, Ms. Chanel.
So talk.
I won't beat around the bush.
I wanted to ask you a question.
Do you think Balenciaga is worthy of Parisian haute couture?
I hear people say he's very good, a genius, but...
I don't see it.
What a question.
It must have cost you a lot to launch Maison Balenciaga.
Shouldn't you have asked that before?
Yes, but we can't get sales going,
and suppliers want us to pay for the fabrics.
I'm asking the expert here.
He's not just worthy, he's better.
The first time I saw his dresses in San Sebastián,
I knew he was special.
A Balenciaga's worth...
is in its secrets, its dressmaking.
Would you mind turning around?
What are you doing?
You're not a great example.
-What do you mean? -You have no hump.
-Well, thank you. -I don't know if you've noticed,
but, often, Cristóbal's jackets
are pinched slightly here
and here.
It's not decorative.
The long pinches
allow you to separate the jacket from the back.
This technique allows women
with humps to look straight, and this is just an example.
What Cristóbal does for them
is like plastic surgery, with all those details.
And he also invents.
He comes up with new ways to make buttonholes...
of positioning the collar, adding the sleeves,
distributing the weight.
Did you know he's been sewing since he was a child?
Balenciaga is the last true dressmaker.
The rest of us are just designers.
He knows the whole process, from start to finish,
and it's obvious.
I have no doubt that he'll be a great competitor,
and you will make a fortune, Mr. Bizkarrondo.
I'm very glad to hear that.
Thank you, Ms. Chanel.
It's folkloric, exotic and sophisticated at the same time.
I think it will work.
What do you think, Suzanne?
I like it.
Me too.
I like it.
WLADZIO: Step by step.
Knowing all this, I have another question.
Could you get Carmel Snow to come and see
the next Balenciaga showcase?
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS)
CRISTÓBAL (IN SPANISH): I suppose it wasn't just Carmel Snow's visit.
But slowly we started to get
our big clients.
They're a fundamental part for creating great designers.
The Duchess of Windsor,
Gloria Guinness, the Marchioness of Llanzol,
Babe Paley, Marlene Dietrich,
Grace Kelly...
(DRAMATIC MUSIC CONTINUES)
PRUDENCE: You were crucial in defining the style
of those women.
Or the other way around.
Those women and their styles were crucial
in defining my own style.
My designs came to be on their bodies.
It's part of the complexity of style.
Huh...
(CLOSING THEME MUSIC PLAYS)