Balenciaga, Explained: Le City, the Rodeo, the Hourglass and the Shapes Behind Them

Balenciaga is the house Cristóbal Balenciaga founded in San Sebastián in 1917 and moved to Paris in 1937, where his balloon hems, semi-fit dresses and jackets and sack dress reshaped the silhouette of the 1950s. Today its best-known pieces are Balenciaga bags: Le City, the reissued Motorcycle bag of 2001; the slouchy Rodeo; the curved Hourglass; and Le Cagole. For a first purchase, start with one of those or a pair of its shoes. Since July 2025 the creative director has been Pierpaolo Piccioli, formerly of Valentino, who has brought the founder's shapes back to the runway. Below, our editors cover the couturier and the designers who followed him, how to choose between Le City, the Rodeo, the Hourglass and Le Cagole, how the shoes and coats fit, what holds its value, and how to care for Balenciaga's soft lambskin.

Balenciaga at a glance

Cristóbal Balenciaga and the shapes that still define the house

Cristóbal Balenciaga was born in 1895 in Getaria, a fishing village in the Basque country, and was introduced to fashion by his mother, a seamstress. He began an apprenticeship with a tailor in San Sebastián at twelve and opened his first house there in 1917, named Eisa, a shortening of his mother's maiden name. Houses in Barcelona and Madrid followed before he moved to Paris in 1937, where his house on avenue George V soon became the most expensive and exclusive in the city, according to the Victoria and Albert Museum's introduction to the designer. The shapes he developed there still explain how Balenciaga clothes are cut:

• Balloon hems (early 1950s): volume gathered at the hem of a skirt or dress.
• Semi-fit (mid-1950s): dresses and jackets fitted at the front with loose, voluminous backs.
• The sack dress (1957): a straight shift that eliminated the waist entirely. It was met with hostility at first and became the forerunner of the 1960s mini.
• The baby doll (late 1950s): a trapeze shape skimming the body.
• The envelope dress (1967): four sharp points molded in silk gazar, his favorite stiff but light fabric, shown the year before he closed the house in 1968. He died in 1972.

Why this matters when you shop: Balenciaga's clothes are still built around volume placed away from the body, at the back, the sleeve or the hem. A cocoon or sack coat is meant to stand away from you, so size it by the shoulders and let the volume do its work.

Balenciaga's creative directors, from Ghesquière to Piccioli

After Cristóbal Balenciaga closed his house, the name lay dormant until new owners revived it in 1986. Today it belongs to Kering, and six designers have shaped the modern house.

Demna left for Gucci in 2025, and Kering and Balenciaga named Piccioli his successor, effective July 10, 2025. Piccioli had spent sixteen years as creative director of Valentino, first alongside Maria Grazia Chiuri and then alone. His first Balenciaga collection, shown on October 4, 2025, started from Cristóbal's 1957 sack dress, shortening it into tunic tops worn over slim, pressed trousers or lengthening it into gowns, with cocooning and ballooning shapes throughout, as Wallpaper* reported from the show. His second collection, in March 2026, introduced a reworked Hourglass bag. In practice, the house now offers two moods side by side: Demna's oversized sneakers and slouchy leather bags, and Piccioli's tailoring and archive-led coats.

Balenciaga bags: Le City

Le City began as the Motorcycle bag. Nicolas Ghesquière introduced it as a runway prototype at the fall 2001 show, and the company was reluctant to produce a soft bag with no logo until Kate Moss asked Ghesquière for one; the other prototypes went to editors and stylists such as Carine Roitfeld, Emmanuelle Alt and Marie-Amélie Sauvé, W magazine recounted. The Motorcycle was later renamed the City and became a defining It bag of the early 2000s: soft, slouchy lambskin with leather lariats, zippers and rugged studded hardware. In 2024 it was reissued as Le City.

What you get today: the classic version is in Arena lambskin, a soft, crinkled leather that looks better as it softens, with brass or aged hardware and long zipper tails finished with knotted leather pullers; many versions include a small removable mirror. The line now runs from chain clutches and mini top-handles to shoulder bags and totes. How to choose:

• Crossbody or mini: a phone, cards, keys and a lipstick; the most wearable size for evenings and weekends.
• Small shoulder bag: the everyday size, for a wallet and sunglasses as well.
• Medium or tote: the work bag. The retailer copy for the medium tote says it holds a tablet and a small laptop, but the soft sides do not hold a shape around one, so check the listed width against your laptop.

Black lambskin is the version that dates least, and a camel or brown suede looks the most relaxed. Browse more designer shoulder bags to compare.

The Balenciaga Rodeo

The Rodeo is the newest of the four bags in this guide: it arrived in 2024, late in Demna's tenure. It is a slouchy top-handle bag in soft calfskin or suede, with a fold-over flap closed by a turn-lock, a keyring tag on the strap, side snaps that let the body expand and, on many versions, a detachable charm. It comes in mini, small, medium and large sizes; the small measures about 11.4 inches wide on the listings we checked.

How to wear it: the Rodeo is meant to look soft and lived-in, so carry it in the crook of the arm or on the shoulder and let the sides collapse. Its plain body is made for bag charms, which is part of its appeal. The small size is the everyday choice; the medium carries a work day's contents; the mini is a top-handle for going out. Suede is lighter and more casual, calfskin easier to keep clean. If you want a structured work bag instead, see our guide to the best designer work bags, or browse designer top-handle bags.

The Hourglass and Le Cagole

The Hourglass was shown in Demna's fall 2019 collection and became one of the house's best-sellers. It is a structured top-handle bag whose body curves in at the middle and flares at the base, a direct nod to the hourglass figure, closed with a magnetic flap and a large B clasp. It is the most formal of the four, so it suits tailoring and evening better than the City family. Piccioli's reworked version, the Hourglass Avenue, uses softer leather for a more relaxed shape, adds a hinged handle and closes with a magnetic lock engraved with the address of Cristóbal Balenciaga's Paris ateliers, according to Who What Wear.

Le Cagole arrived in 2021 and distills the City's hardware into a compact, curved shoulder bag: studs, buckles, a braided leather shoulder pad and a removable heart-shaped mirror. The XS holds the essentials; the small is roomier. It is the most playful of the four, and it looks best with plain clothes around it.

Balenciaga shoes: sneakers, Knife pumps and flats

Balenciaga's shoes split the same way as its clothes, between oversized and precise:

• Sneakers. The Triple S stacks a layered, chunky sole; the Speed is a sock-like knit on a molded sole that feels close to barefoot; the City sneaker is a lower, suede lace-up studded in brass.
• The Knife. A pump with an elongated pointed toe and a 110 mm heel, often in stretch fabric that hugs the foot.
• Flats and loafers. Studded Mary Jane flats that echo Le City's hardware, and penny loafers with a rounded moc toe for trousers.

Fit notes: retailers list Balenciaga shoes in US or European sizes, so check the size system on each listing. Pointed toes need length, so if you are between sizes in the Knife, go up rather than down. Try chunky sneakers with the socks you will wear, and wipe knit sneakers with a soft cloth rather than machine washing them. Most of the shoes we checked are made in Italy, but read the label on sneakers. For more options, see our guide to the best designer sneakers for women or browse designer low-top sneakers.

Balenciaga coats and tailoring: how they fit

The coats are where the founder's shapes are easiest to see. Look for cocoon coats with voluminous sleeves and a cinched waist, hourglass-fit jackets and coats that define the waist, and sack shapes with an elongated back, which one retailer describes as an homage to Cristóbal Balenciaga. Even the plainest tailoring tends to have strong shoulders and a defined waist.

Sizing. Most listings we checked use French sizes, 34 to 40 (a French 36 is a US 4, a 38 a US 6), while some retailers convert to US sizes. Size by the shoulders: a cocoon or sack coat is cut to stand away from the body, and sizing down to make it closer spoils the line. Check the sleeve length too, because voluminous sleeves are often long by design. A structured coat looks right over a slim knit and narrow trousers; save the wide trousers for a coat cut close to the body. Browse more designer coats to compare shapes.

Is Balenciaga worth it? What holds its value

Demand for the house is strong on the resale market. Balenciaga ranked among the ten most-searched brands on The RealReal in 2026, and saved searches for Ghesquière-era Balenciaga rose 400% year on year, according to the platform's 2026 resale report as reported by WWD. Ghesquière's era is the one that produced the City, and Le City puts that shape back into production.

In our view, the pieces most likely to keep their appeal are Le City and the Hourglass in black or another neutral, and the Rodeo in plain calfskin. The least likely are seasonal logo pieces and novelty sneakers, which you should buy to wear. If resale matters to you, keep the dust bag, the mirror and any charms, since a complete bag is easier to sell.

If you like Balenciaga, look at these houses too

• Gucci: where Demna now designs. See our Gucci guide.
• Louis Vuitton: where Nicolas Ghesquière has designed the women's collections since 2013.
• Dior: couture tailoring and top-handle bags from another Paris house. See our Dior guide.

How to care for Balenciaga leather, suede and knit

• Arena lambskin (Le City, Le Cagole): the crinkled finish is the point, so do not over-condition it. Keep it out of heavy rain, store it stuffed in its dust bag, and wipe it with a soft dry cloth.
• Suede (Rodeo, Le City): brush it with a suede brush after wear, keep it away from rain, and use a suede protector before the first outing.
• Smooth calfskin (Hourglass, Rodeo): the easiest to keep clean; buff marks with a dry cloth and keep sharp keys in an inner pocket.
• Hardware: wrap studs and buckles in tissue when you store the bag, so they do not dent the leather.
• Shoes: wipe stretch-fabric pumps and knit sneakers with a soft cloth, and stuff pointed toes with tissue to keep their shape.

How to style Balenciaga

Balenciaga works best when one piece carries the volume and everything else stays quiet. Four formulas:

1. Weekday: a cocoon coat over a black knit and slim trousers, pointed pumps and a black Hourglass.
2. Weekend: straight jeans, a gray sweatshirt, City sneakers and Le City worn crossbody.
3. Office: an hourglass-cut jacket with a pencil skirt and a Rodeo in brown suede, carried in the hand.
4. Evening: a black slip dress, Knife pumps and a Le Cagole XS.

If you want the full outfit built around a Balenciaga piece you already own, ask our AI stylist to style it.

How we chose

Every product in this guide is by Balenciaga, new rather than pre-owned, and was in stock when we checked it. We favored the house's recurring lines, Le City, the Rodeo, the Hourglass, Le Cagole, the Knife and the Speed, over one-season pieces, chose listings from department stores and luxury retailers rather than resellers, read materials, fit notes and country of manufacture on each listing, and looked at every product image to confirm color and shape.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the creative director of Balenciaga?

Pierpaolo Piccioli, formerly of Valentino. Kering and Balenciaga appointed him effective July 10, 2025, and he showed his first collection in Paris on October 4, 2025. He succeeded Demna, who led the house from 2015 and left for Gucci in 2025.

Is Le City the same as the Balenciaga City bag?

Yes, in spirit. The City began as the Motorcycle bag that Nicolas Ghesquière introduced in 2001, and it was reissued in 2024 as Le City, with the same slouchy lambskin, lariats and studded hardware.

What is the Balenciaga Rodeo bag?

A slouchy top-handle bag in calfskin or suede with a turn-lock flap, introduced in 2024. It comes in mini, small, medium and large sizes, and its plain body is often dressed with bag charms.

How does Balenciaga sizing work? Does it run small or large?

The clothes are cut with deliberate volume, so buy your usual size and fit the shoulders; do not size down to reduce the volume. Most coats and jackets are listed in French sizes (a French 36 is a US 4), and shoes in US or European sizes depending on the retailer. Pointed styles such as the Knife need a little extra length.

Which Balenciaga bag holds its value?

The RealReal's 2026 report found saved searches for Ghesquière-era Balenciaga, the era of the original City, up 400% year on year. In our view, Le City and the Hourglass in black or a neutral, kept complete with the dust bag and mirror, are the safest choices.

Keep reading

• Dior, explained: the Lady Dior, the Saddle, the Book Tote and the Bar jacket
• Celine, explained: the Triomphe, the bags and the sunglasses
• Gucci, explained
• The best designer work bags
• The best designer sneakers for women