Series "Aspiring Masterpieces" No. 15: Balenciaga leather goods that live up to their reputation as the architects of the couture world.

Cristóbal Balenciaga, creator of the tunic dress in 1955 and the sack dress two years later, was hailed as the architect of couture. His ideas that revolutionized silhouettes and cuts became the foundation for what the fashion industry would later refer to as architecture.

Demna Vasaria is aBalenciaga.When Cristobal became the artistic director of the brand, he carefully combed through the archives of the brand. His carefully tailored coats, inspired by Cristobal's Basque silhouette (Cristobal was born in the Basque region of Spain), received much acclaim. (Cristobal was born in the Basque Country of Spain.) Demna, too, is a designer with an uncommon obsession with silhouettes. The process of matching the silhouettes must have been very enjoyable.

Leather goods are not a bad choice if you want a quick taste of the new "Balenciaga" worldview, which has been reconstructed with Demna's sensibility. Although it is easy to focus only on the aggressive design of the "Carry Shopper," reminiscent of a certain furniture brand, or the eye-catching "Bazar Shopper" with its bold stripes, Demna has an extraordinary talent in the area of functionality as well. It is not difficult to imagine that Cristobal, who was nicknamed the architect of the couture world, would have squinted when he learned of Demna's design philosophy.

The clutch and wallet shown here are new this fall. The calf leather is finished with metallic and logos. Yet, they also have a storage capacity that belies their appearance. The gold wallet, for example, is surprisingly large enough to hold eight cards in addition to bills and coins.