{"id":1239203292,"date":"2026-09-10T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wwd.com\/?p=1239203292"},"modified":"2026-09-09T12:09:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T16:09:06","slug":"balenciaga-hourglass-avenue-bag-makeover-pierpaolo-1239203292","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wwd.com\/fashion-news\/designer-luxury\/balenciaga-hourglass-avenue-bag-makeover-pierpaolo-1239203292\/","title":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE: Pierpaolo Piccioli Decided It Was Time for a Soft Hourglass Bag at Balenciaga"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\tCURVE AHEAD<\/strong>: One of fashion\u2019s most acclaimed couturiers and dressmakers, Pierpaolo Piccioli has given one of Balenciaga\u2019s linchpin handbags, the top-handle Hourglass model, a makeover \u2014 softening its defining curve with a more fluid construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tOfficially launching Thursday in select Balenciaga<\/a> boutiques and online, the Hourglass Avenue bag has already found its way onto the arms of such famous folk as Demi Moore, Cynthia Erivo, Rachel Sennott, Juyeon, Lily Collins, Ma Sichuan and Charles Melton. (Many of them carried it while attending the Balenciaga couture show in Paris last July.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tFirst introduced with the winter 2019 collection and boasting a distinctive concave base, the original Hourglass bag winked to the waist-cinched silhouettes that founding couturier Crist\u00f3bal Balenciaga first introduced with his summer 1943 couture collection \u2014 and explored for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\tAn hourglass suit from Crist\u00f3bal Balenciaga, circa 1948.<\/span>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Balenciaga Archives Paris<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<\/figcaption>\n\n\t\t\t\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\tPiccioli said he considers the hourglass one of the most important shapes in Balenciaga\u2019s history, whose influence on fashion still reverberates in modern fashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\u201cWhen approaching new ways to consider a bag inspired by this specific silhouette, I first imagine how Crist\u00f3bal Balenciaga must have conceived it,\u201d Piccioli told WWD. \u201cHe always thought about volumes that were architectural but soft at the same time; everything he made was extremely wearable and responsive to the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\u201cI wanted the Hourglass Avenue bag to recall this idea without losing its footprint. Most of all, I wanted to create a bag that made sense for and with a contemporary wardrobe,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Balenciaga's\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\tBalenciaga\u2019s Hourglass Avenue bag.<\/span>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Balenciaga<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<\/figcaption>\n\n\t\t\t\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\tThe revamped style, which made its first appearance on Balenciaga\u2019s fall<\/a> 2026 runway, boasts an additional hinged handle for easier carrying and a supple flap that folds over the top and secures with a lock closure, enclosing the second handle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tLarger styles include external and internal pockets for extra storage, while smaller ones come with a detachable crossbody strap, in leather or chain, depending on the model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\tJuyeon carrying a Balenciaga Hourglass Avenue Bag.<\/span>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Balenciaga<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<\/figcaption>\n\n\t\t\t\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dubbed the Hourglass Avenue, the new bag boasts a more fluid construction and a hidden second handle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76009414,"featured_media":1239203378,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exclude_post_from_river":false,"override_post_title":"","override_post_excerpt":"","authors":[],"contributors":[],"styled_by":[],"_image_credit":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","pmc_selected_wwd_video_media":"","pmc_top_video_source":"","pmc_top_video_duration":"","wwd_top_video_source":"","wwd_top_video_duration":"","pmc_selected_featured_media":"","pmc_selected_video_media":"","pmc_selected_variety_video_media":"","variety_top_video_source":"","variety_top_video_duration":"","pmc_featured_media_has_alt_text":true,"_pmc_featured_animated_media_id":0,"_pmc_featured_video_override_data":"","_pmc_featured_video_override_url":"","_pmc_featured_video_response_data":"","pmc-gallery-linked-gallery":{},"pmc_list_item_description":"","primary_category":"","primary_vertical":"","_mt_pmc_exclude_from_seo":"","_pmc_opengraph_title":"","_pmc_opengraph_description":"","pmc-gallery":[],"categories":0,"subcategories":0,"thr_post_headlines":"","_variety-sub-heading":"","mt_seo_title":"Pierpaolo 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