CURVE AHEAD: One of fashion’s most acclaimed couturiers and dressmakers, Pierpaolo Piccioli has given one of Balenciaga’s linchpin handbags, the top-handle Hourglass model, a makeover — softening its defining curve with a more fluid construction.
Officially launching Thursday in select Balenciaga 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.)
First 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 Cristóbal Balenciaga first introduced with his summer 1943 couture collection — and explored for years.
An hourglass suit from Cristóbal Balenciaga, circa 1948.
Courtesy of Balenciaga Archives Paris
Piccioli said he considers the hourglass one of the most important shapes in Balenciaga’s history, whose influence on fashion still reverberates in modern fashion.
“When approaching new ways to consider a bag inspired by this specific silhouette, I first imagine how Cristóbal Balenciaga must have conceived it,” Piccioli told WWD. “He always thought about volumes that were architectural but soft at the same time; everything he made was extremely wearable and responsive to the body.
“I 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,” he added.
The revamped style, which made its first appearance on Balenciaga’s fall 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.
Larger 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.
Juyeon carrying a Balenciaga Hourglass Avenue Bag.
Courtesy of Balenciaga
