Renato Balestra

OMRI Omri ( ; he, , ''‘Omrī''; akk, 𒄷𒌝𒊑𒄿 ''Ḫûmrî'' 'ḫu-um-ri-i'' fl. 9th century BC) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the sixth king of Israel. He was a successful military campaigner who extended the northern kingdom of ...

(3 May 1924 – 26 November 2022) was an Italian fashion designer, the founder of the Balestra brand and company.

Life and career

Early life

Born in

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into prov ...

, Renato Balestra grew up immersed in the Mid-European cultural environment. In a family of architects and engineers, he stood out for his artistic spirit and explored painting, music and scenography in his free time. His career in fashion began almost by chance, when friends sent one of his sketches to the Italian Fashion Center (Centro Italiano della Moda, CMI): immediately noticed for his talent, he was invited to take part in a Haute Couture show. By 1953, he had achieved such success that he quit his studies in engineering and completed his apprenticeship at Jole Veneziani's atelier. Considered the "painter of fashion", he leveraged his artistic spirit to create a synergy with Italian Haute Couture, which he deeply transformed over the decades. By the 1970s, he was famous for his signature "Embroidery Painting", based on the original use of materials and actual painting on fabrics of any kind. His mastery of transparencies, through innovation and freedom of expression, spoke to modern, strong, and sensual women.

Rome

In 1954, he moved to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and began working as a designer for prestigious fashion houses such as Emilio Schuberth, Maria Antonelli, and the Sorelle Fontana. His strong passion for cinema led him to design costumes for

Ava Gardner Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress. She first signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew critics' attention in 1946 with her perform ...

The Barefoot Contessa ''The Barefoot Contessa'' is a 1954 American drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz about the life and loves of fictional Spanish sex symbol Maria Vargas. It stars Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner, and Edmond O'Brien. The film's sl ...

and

The Sun also Rises ''The Sun Also Rises'' is a 1926 novel by American writer Ernest Hemingway, his first, that portrays American and British expatriates who travel from Paris to the Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls and the b ...

, for

Gina Lollobrigida Luigia "Gina" Lollobrigida (born 4 July 1927) is an Italian actress, photojournalist, and politician. She was one of the highest-profile European actresses of the 1950s and early 1960s, a period in which she was an international sex symbol. As o ...

Beautiful but Dangerous ''Beautiful But Dangerous'' (also released as ''La donna più bella del mondo''/ ''The World's Most Beautiful Woman'') is a 1956 French-Italian comedy drama romance film directed by Robert Z. Leonard. The picture is a biopic about Italian opera ...

, for Sophia Loren in Lucky to Be a Woman, for

Candice Bergen Candice Patricia Bergen (born May 9, 1946) is an American actress. She won five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for her portrayal of the title character on the CBS sitcom ''Murphy Brown'' (1988–1998, 2018). She is also kno ...

in The Adventurers, and for

Shirley Jones Shirley Mae Jones (born March 31, 1934) is an American actress and singer. In her six decades in show business, she has starred as wholesome characters in a number of musical films, such as '' Oklahoma!'' (1955), ''Carousel'' (1956), and ''The M ...

Micheline Presle Micheline Presle (; born Micheline Nicole Julia Émilienne Chassagne; 22 August 1922) is a French actress. She was sometimes billed as Micheline Prelle. Starting in 1939, she starred in over 50 French and English language films that were made in H ...

, and

Giorgia Moll Giorgia Moll (born 14 January 1938) is an Italian film actress. She was sometimes credited as Georgia Moll and Georgia Mool. Background Moll was born in Prata di Pordenone to a German father and an Italian mother. At a young age, she began a br ...

Dark Purpose ''Dark Purpose'' is a 1964 film directed by George Marshall and starring Shirley Jones, Rossano Brazzi, and George Sanders. Plot American secretary Karen Williams travels to Italy with her employer, art appraiser Raymond Fountaine, to assess ...

Hollywood

As the international jet set noticed his talent more and more, in 1958 he began presenting his collections across the United States, from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. He debuted in Hollywood with actresses such as

Zsa Zsa Gabor Zsa Zsa Gabor (, ; born Sári Gábor ; February 6, 1917 – December 18, 2016) was a Hungarian-American socialite and actress. Her sisters were actresses Eva and Magda Gabor. Gabor competed in the 1933 Miss Hungary pageant, where she ...

Tina Louise Tina Louise ( Blacker; born February 11, 1934) is an American actress widely known for her role as movie star Ginger Grant in the CBS television situation comedy ''Gilligan's Island''. With the death of Dawn Wells in 2020, Louise became the las ...

Joan Bennett Joan Geraldine Bennett (February 27, 1910 – December 7, 1990) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She came from a show-business family, one of three acting sisters. Beginning her career on the stage, Bennett appeared in more t ...

Linda Christian Linda Christian (born Blanca Rosa Henrietta Stella Welter Vorhauer; November 13, 1923 – July 22, 2011) was a Mexican film actress, who appeared in Mexican and Hollywood films. Her career reached its peak in the 1940s and 1950s. She played Mara ...

Natalie Wood Natalie Wood ( Zacharenko; July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was an American actress who began her career in film as a child and successfully transitioned to young adult roles. Wood started acting at age four and was given a co-starring r ...

, Ann Miller, and

Arlene Dahl Arlene Carol Dahl (August 11, 1925 – November 29, 2021) was an American actress active in films from the late 1940s. She was one of the last surviving stars from the Classical Hollywood cinema era. She was also an author and entrepreneur. Sh ...

. Appreciated and loved not only for his designs but also for his optimism, he became a favorite of movie stars like Liz Taylor,

Claudia Cardinale Claude Joséphine Rose "Claudia" Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938) is an Italian actress. She has starred in some of the most iconic European films of the 1960s and 1970s, acting in Italian, French, and English. Born and raised in La Goulette, a ...

Marina Cicogna Contessa Marina Cicogna (born 29 May 1934) is a female Italian film producer and photographer. She produced the film '' Belle de Jour,'' which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1967. Personal life Cicogna was born in Rome and g ...

, Lydia Alfonsi,

Daniela Rocca Daniela Rocca (12 September 1937 – 28 May 1995) was an Italian actress, model and writer. Biography Rocca was born and raised in Acireale, a small town near Catania. She became Miss Catania in 1953, and was discovered by talent scouts after ...

Yvonne Furneaux Yvonne Furneaux (born Elisabeth Yvonne Scatcherd; 11 May 1928) is a French-British retired actress. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she worked with notable filmmakers like Peter Brook, Federico Fellini, Roman Polanski, Michelan ...

Carroll Baker Carroll Baker (born May 28, 1931) is an American former actress. After studying under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio, Baker began performing on Broadway in 1954. From there, she was recruited by director Elia Kazan to play the lead in t ...

, and

Cyd Charisse Cyd Charisse (born Tula Ellice Finklea; March 8, 1922 – June 17, 2008) was an American actress and dancer. After recovering from polio as a child and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s. Her roles usually featured her abilit ...

1960s

In 1959, Balestra opened his first atelier in

at via Gregoriana 36. In 1961, he presented his first spring- summer haute couture collection at the

Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna The ("national gallery of modern and contemporary art"), also known as La Galleria Nazionale, is an art gallery in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1883 on the initiative of the then Minister Guido Baccelli and is dedicated to modern and contempor ...

. Those were the years when "Blu Balestra" first appeared, on a short satin dress: a bright, magical and timeless hue, a unique color that remains an indisputable symbol of the maison to this day. In 1962, Balestra became a member of the

National Chamber of Italian Fashion The National Chamber of Italian Fashion (Italian: ''Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana'') is a non-profit organization, whose purpose is the promotion, coordination of the Italian fashion industry and the training of young Italian designers. ...

, and the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) chose him to promote

Made in Italy Made in Italy is a merchandise mark indicating that a product is all planned, manufactured and packed in Italy, especially concerning the design, fashion, food, manufacturing, craftsmanship, and engineering industries. History Made in Italy ...

quality around the world. In January 1963, Balestra held his first show in

Palazzo Pitti The Palazzo Pitti (), in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present ...

's Sala Bianca, launching a completely new concept of fashion that stood out for its simplicity, accuracy and spontaneity. He developed this new approach designing exclusive collections for Isetan in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

as well as leading American department stores

Saks Fifth Avenue Saks Fifth Avenue (originally Saks & Company; colloquially Saks) is an American luxury department store chain headquartered in New York City and founded by Andrew Saks. The original store opened in the F Street shopping district of Washington ...

Bergdorf Goodman Bergdorf Goodman Inc. is a luxury department store based on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York. The company was founded in 1899 by Herman Bergdorf and was later owned and managed by Edwin Goodman, and later his son, Andrew Goodman. ...

, Foley's,

Neiman Marcus Neiman Marcus Group, Inc. is an American integrated luxury retailer headquartered in Dallas, Texas, which owns Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Horchow, and Last Call. Since September 2021, NMG has been owned by a group of investment compani ...

, and

Lord & Taylor Lord & Taylor was the oldest brick and mortar department store in the United States, in business from 1826 to 2020. The brand was purchased during former owner Le Tote's 2020 liquidation bankruptcy and relaunched by new owner, Saadia Group, as ...

. By the end of the 1960s, the Renato Balestra brand was distributed in over 70 American department stores and showcased on runways in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

, Japan,

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

, and Far East. Soon, clients included the most powerful and elegant women in the world, from first ladies to princesses and empresses. Custom-made gowns and wedding dresses, highlighting various local cultures and materials, created a strong foundation for the designer's long-lasting career. In 1973, the registration of the Renato Balestra brand was completed. As one of the first designers to believe in licensing, Balestra launched his namesake

perfume Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Th ...

in 1978 and went on to successfully explore and develop various products: not only fragrances, but also makeup, luggage, eyewear, and homeware.

Uniforms

His creativity enhanced further collaborations and flourished in skillfully executed uniforms for Philippines Airlines (1985), Alitalia Airlines (1986), and for the managers of the

Agip Agip (''Azienda Generale Italiana Petroli'', en, General Italian Oil Company) is an Italian automotive gasoline, diesel, LPG, lubricants, fuel oil, and bitumen retailer established in 1926. It has been a subsidiary of the multinational petroleu ...

Petroli factories (1988). Balestra fashioned clothes for

Farah Diba Farah Pahlavi ( fa, فرح پهلوی, née Farah Diba ( fa, فرح دیبا, label=none); born 14 October 1938) is the widow of the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and was successively Queen and Empress (''Shahbanu'') of Iran from ...

, Empress of Persia, for

Imelda Marcos Imelda Romualdez Marcos (; born Imelda Remedios Visitacion Trinidad Romualdez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who served as the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power during the dictato ...

, first lady of the Philippines, and in 1985, in honor of Queen

Sirikit Queen Sirikit ( th, สิริกิติ์; ; ); born ''Mom Rajawongse'' Sirikit Kitiyakara ( th, สิริกิติ์ กิติยากร; ; 12 August 1932) is the queen mother of Thailand. She was Queen of Thailand as the wif ...

of Thailand, he presented at the

Mandarin Oriental Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group International Limited (MOHG) is a Hong Kong hotel investment and management group focusing on luxury hotels, resorts, and residences, with a total of 33 properties worldwide, 20 of which are fully or partially ow ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

the 1985 Spring/Summer collection made entirely in local mudmee silk. He dressed Saudi princesses and for

Princess Noor bint Asem Princess Noor bint Asem ( ar, نور بنت عاصم; born 6 October 1982) is a member of the Jordanian Royal Family. Family Her father is Prince Asem bin Al Nayef, a grandson of King Abdullah I of Jordan and her mother is Firouzeh Vokhshour ...

of Jordan on the occasion of her marriage to Prince Hamzah bin Hussein (2003) Balestra designed a unique wedding gown.

Opera costumes

In 1988, he presented ''Rosa & Chic'' on Italian national TV

Rai 2 Rai 2 is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's second television channel, and is known for broadcasting ''TG2'' news bulletins, tal ...

: it was the first time a fashion designer was entrusted with his own TV show. In 1991, he wrote his first book: ''Alla ricerca dello stile perduto'' (literally, In Search of Lost Style), published by Rusconi. Balestra's interest in the arts – including theater – motivated him to design costumes for ''Cosi è (se vi pare)'' directed by

Franco Zeffirelli Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post-World War II era, ...

(1985), Rossini's '' Cenerentola'' at the Belgrade Opera House (1988), and Strauss's The ''Rose-Bearer'' at the Verdi Theater in

(for the opening of the 1999 opera season). Balestra returned to design the costumes for the ''Cinderella'' musical produced by Broadway-Asia Entertainment, which went on a global tour from major Asian cities to America from 2009 to 2011. In 2019, he designed both the costumes and the scenography for

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

's '' Swan Lake'' at the Belgrade Opera House.

Special Projects

In 2013, his vision led him to launch a special project with AltaRoma for the new generation of fashion designers: ''Be Blu Be Balestra'', a competition for young talents who reinterpret the iconic Blu Balestra under Balestra's personal guidance.

Career Celebration

In 2018, AltaRoma celebrated his career with an exceptional fashion show that showcased over 100 couture gowns from the Renato Balestra Archive in front of 2,500 guests.

Recognition

During his career, Balestra received prestigious awards in recognition of his talent: he was made Honorary Professor of the Beijing Fashion Academy; Italian President Giorgio Napolitano appointed him Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2009; and he was nominated International Couturier Extraordinaire by the Asian Couture Federation in

The Archive

In 2019, Renato Balestra's archive was declared by the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities (MiBAC) "of particularly important historical interest". It includes documentation produced from the mid-1950s to the present day, and is made up of over 40,000 sketches and drawings, clothes and tailoring, press reviews and photographs.

Personal life and death

Balestra died on 26 November 2022, at the age of 98.

References

Balestra Official Website

External links

Balestra Official Website
*
Renato Balestra
- Biography
Renato Balestra biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balestra, Renato 1924 births 2022 deaths Italian fashion designers Grand Officers of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic People from Trieste