The designs of the Spanish-born couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga were simple yet dramatic, perfect in detail, and exquisitely shaped. He frequently drew on his Spanish heritage to create fashions that were inspired both by the works of Spain's greatest painters, such as Velázquez, Goya, and Zurbarán, and by the regional dress of its people. The costume of the flamenco dancer, with its flounced skirt cut short in front and dipping down in the back, was the source for this dramatic evening dress from Balenciaga's spring 1951 collection. In his version, a strapless black silk organza evening dress is topped with a removable, softly tailored, full-length white cotton piqué overdress, which is cut away to reveal a cascade of feathered organza petals. Dilys E. Blum and H. Kristina Haugland, from Best Dressed: Fashion from the Birth of Couture to Today (1997) pp. 50-51.