Balenciaga Men's Strike Chelsea Boots

Balenciaga

Cristóbal Balenciaga opened in Paris in 1937 after years in Spain. The house is great at sculptural volume—the 1950s sack dress and balloon shapes rewrote how cloth sits on a body. Under Demna it became the logo of ugly-chic luxury (the Triple S, the City bag revival). Fun fact: Coco Chanel called Balenciaga “the only couturier in the truest sense,” because he could cut, sew and invent.