Superlatives roll off the tongue in fashionspeak as easily as a broken strand of pearls will clatter to the floor. “Fabulous.” “Stunning.” “Exquisite.” These are heard so often they begin to seem like adjectives for “average.”

Yet when designers speak of other fashion designers, the hyperbole tends to come to a stuttering halt. There is only one who elicits uncommon praise: Cristobal Balenciaga.

Star-Telegram