Part of Balenciaga’s Winter 2026 collection, ClairObscur, the Hourglass Avenue is a new take on a familiar silhouette
If you know Balenciaga, chances are you know the Hourglass bag. This September, the house introduces a new version of the familiar shape, one that favours what Balenciaga describes as the “grace of form over rigidity.”
Launched alongside the Winter 2026 collection, the Hourglass Avenue feels strangely familiar. At first glance, I see a little of the Rodeo in it, alongside the obvious resemblance to the original Hourglass. It’s like running into someone you haven’t seen in years. You recognise them straight away, but something has changed.
The Rodeo influence is most apparent in the way the bag can be carried. Tuck the front flap inside and a second handle is revealed, giving the Avenue a more relaxed look. It’s a small detail, but one that changes the feel of the bag considerably.
Then there’s the shape. Made from reworked box leather, the Avenue keeps the Hourglass’s distinctive curved base, but the structure is softer, with a slouch that the original doesn’t quite have. It still has that unmistakable Balenciaga silhouette, just without feeling quite so rigid.
The hardware is kept simple. Two metal bars form the lock closure, engraved with Balenciaga 10 Avenue George V. The address refers to the house’s historic Paris couture ateliers, and its headquarters today. Branding is discreet, in keeping with the quieter design language that has come to define much of contemporary luxury.
The Hourglass shape itself dates back much further than the bag. Founder Cristóbal Balenciaga explored it through his tailoring, drawing on traditional dress from his native Basque country. His peplum jackets, first introduced in the 1940s, created a pronounced curve at the hips without relying on restrictive corsetry. In 2019, Demna brought that shape into the accessories department with the original Hourglass bag.
With the Hourglass Avenue, creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli takes the silhouette somewhere a little different. The references are all there, but the proportions and softer construction give it a character of its own. It’s still an Hourglass, just one that seems a little less interested in holding its shape.
