Fashion designer Renato Balestra dies aged 98
MILAN - Designer Renato Balestra, dean of Italian couture, died on Saturday in Rome, at the 98 years old. A funeral service will be held in the Italian capital on Tuesday.
Balestra opened its first workshop in 1959 in Rome, where the company is still based, after a apprenticeship with Jole Veneziani and working for Emilio Schubert, Maria Antonelli and Sorelle Fontana.
Coming from a family of architects and engineers, he stands out for his artistic spirit and defines himself as the "fashion painter."
Known for his iconic painterly embroideries and mix of different fabrics and transparencies, his name was associated with a Color — Balestra Blue.
Related GalleriesHis strong passion for cinema led him to design costumes for Ava Gardner in "The Barefoot Contessa" and "The Sun Also Rises;" for Gina Lollobrigida in "Beautiful but Dangerous"; for Sophia Loren in "Lucky to Be a Woman" and for Candice Bergen in "The Adventurers", among others. It has become a favorite of movie stars including Elizabeth Taylor, Claudia Cardinale and Carroll Baker, to name a few.
Balestra has designed exclusive collections for Isetan in Tokyo as well as Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Foley's, Neiman Marcus and Lord & Taylor.
In 1970, he included men's looks in a women's fashion show — a pioneer in the creation of unisex collections on coed gateways.
A Renato Balestra look from the spring 1987 collection image courtesy of BalestraHis brand was relaunched earlier this year with a new course set by his granddaughter, Sofia Bertolli Balestra, with a first ready-to-wear collection presented in February during Milan Fashion Week. Renamed simply Balestra, the logo revisits the hand-drawn version designed by the founder in 1971 and appears in his signature color.
Managing Balestra's research, development and brand identity, Bertolli Balestra built the archives of the brand, which include more than 40,000 sketches and drawings, hundreds of dresses, videos and newspaper articles, and had been declared of historical interest by the Italian Ministry of Heritage and Cultural Activities
MILAN - Designer Renato Balestra, dean of Italian couture, died on Saturday in Rome, at the 98 years old. A funeral service will be held in the Italian capital on Tuesday.
Balestra opened its first workshop in 1959 in Rome, where the company is still based, after a apprenticeship with Jole Veneziani and working for Emilio Schubert, Maria Antonelli and Sorelle Fontana.
Coming from a family of architects and engineers, he stands out for his artistic spirit and defines himself as the "fashion painter."
Known for his iconic painterly embroideries and mix of different fabrics and transparencies, his name was associated with a Color — Balestra Blue.
Related GalleriesHis strong passion for cinema led him to design costumes for Ava Gardner in "The Barefoot Contessa" and "The Sun Also Rises;" for Gina Lollobrigida in "Beautiful but Dangerous"; for Sophia Loren in "Lucky to Be a Woman" and for Candice Bergen in "The Adventurers", among others. It has become a favorite of movie stars including Elizabeth Taylor, Claudia Cardinale and Carroll Baker, to name a few.
Balestra has designed exclusive collections for Isetan in Tokyo as well as Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Foley's, Neiman Marcus and Lord & Taylor.
In 1970, he included men's looks in a women's fashion show — a pioneer in the creation of unisex collections on coed gateways.
A Renato Balestra look from the spring 1987 collection image courtesy of BalestraHis brand was relaunched earlier this year with a new course set by his granddaughter, Sofia Bertolli Balestra, with a first ready-to-wear collection presented in February during Milan Fashion Week. Renamed simply Balestra, the logo revisits the hand-drawn version designed by the founder in 1971 and appears in his signature color.
Managing Balestra's research, development and brand identity, Bertolli Balestra built the archives of the brand, which include more than 40,000 sketches and drawings, hundreds of dresses, videos and newspaper articles, and had been declared of historical interest by the Italian Ministry of Heritage and Cultural Activities
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