In the years since Cristóbal Balenciaga launched his eponymous fashion label on Avenue George V in Paris during the summer of 1937, his maison de mode has outfitted more than a few recognizable dames. And, as an in-depth New Yorker profile from last year pointed out, Balenciaga, the company, has long depended on the celebrity of its more powerful, repeat patrons, which have included: the de Rothchilds, Paul Mellon, the Duke of Windsor, Prince Rainier, Countess Mona Bismark and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

So it was probably with no small effort that the label chose its newest public “face”—the Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Connelly.  read more »