Nicole Richie wearing the HUDSON Jean Jacket in Janet.

The year was 1961, the height of the Balenciaga couture house in Paris and salons like these only opened their doors to the most exclusive ladies who lunched. Here they viewed exquisite shift dresses, pearls that were sometimes layered on top of one another for a stronger statement, bolero jackets, incredible hats, and a ruffled train or bata de cola of the flamenco dancer, a touch for which Cristobal Balenciaga had been renowned.

Hudson captured part of the video now on display at the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute. I love the intimacy of the room, a handpicked group of hens who can whisper and take notes.

Maybe Hudson’s designer Ben Taverniti should think about launching some modern day salons starting with Georgia Jagger and her pals. It would be very haute and very rock n’roll.

Sometimes, we’re inspired by great fashion. The intimate show — the work of the original Cristobal Balenciaga –now on display at the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute — pulls us in to remember clothing constructed with great artistry.

To celebrate the Spanish couturier’s birthday — January 21, 1895– the Spanish Institute threw a little fete, replete with champagne, uptown dames, and a red velvet cake.

Here, we’ve captured some out takes from the exhibit, the career of a man who opened his couture house in Paris in 1937, only to take over the couture world. The Times said, thirty years later, ” No one in French couture can match him.” And famed Vogue editor Diana Vreeland saluted how he transferred his roots into ball gowns, intricately detailed hats, and even hot pants. “Balenciaga remained forever a Spaniard… his inspiration came from the bullrings, the flamenco dancers, the fishermen in their boots and loose blouse, the glories of the Church and the cool of the cloisters  and monasteries. He too their colors, their cuts, then festooned them to his own taste.

Of course, such inbred tradition did not stop him from showing tiny shorts in his collection on the eve of the Paris riots in 1968! We might even say that Hudson’s short shorts for Spring could be  a nod to that. Ole’!

(Balenciaga, Spanish Master, until February 19, 2011, Queen Sofia Spanish Institute, 684 Park Avenue, at 68th Street.)

While the latest exhibit — photographs and paintings around snowboarding and surfing — from Milk Gallery can now be seen online (see blog post below) the video of forces of nature remains at Milk. This exclusive video shot for the Hudson blog is enough to make New Yorkers pack their bags for Caribbean paradise to escape the frigid temperatures now setting in. So, here’s a bit of fantasy to break up the day.

Kerry Washington spotted at Sundance wearing the Pull-On Skinny in Cornwall.

Over the long weekend an exhibit at Milk Gallery filled the first floor gallery walls with images of snowboarders, skaters, and surfers. A group of artists including Mike Parillo, Jamie Lynn, Ari Marcopoulos, Scott Lenhardt, Tim Zimmerman, Jeff Curtes, and others have portrayed the awesome pairing of man versus nature and in many cases collaborating with the forces — snow, wind, sea — at hand.

Mazdack Rassi, co-owner of Milk, has been an avid snowboarder for years so it’s no surprise that an exhibit like this would launch here. But this time the works — ranging in price from $550 to $1750– can also be purchased online through Asymbol.

Artist Mike Parillo summed it up. “These images speak to our hearts, open windows into a deeper experience and dare us to dream. We have made them available for anyone to own and hang on their walls.” : ASYMBOL

Marc Jacobs bags remain a rage among young New York birds and his influences range from the Fifites (he once told me about a favorite aunt who favored knits and pencil skirts) to Seventies cool vibes (Marc used to sew patches on his jeans for all of his gal pals at sleep away camp.) His latest bags, which started hitting stores through the States last week, have been pinpointed to debut at specific store locations, as if a gal from that chosen area would appreciate a specific style.

Seen here in a VIP advanced peek for Hudson, you’ll see the Paradise “Vera” in green that debuts in LA; the Baroque “Sullivan” here in black heading to Marc Jacobs San Francisco and the Day to Night “the Single” in what I’ll call “shocking pink” hitting Manhattan. I’m not sure what NYC chick in her right mind could rock this pink number with the exception of Lady Gaga. This Hudson girl picks the green LA bag as the best look of the bunch, especially with Hudson jeans and the black bag really counts as an evergreen favorite, almost as good as the classic Chanel quilted bag.

Sandra Bullock in LA wearing the Collin Signature Skinny in Love Lane.

Here, the Hudson spy took some shots of visual cues, including Roman inspired urn like vases, baroque French drawings, a fireplace from the nineteenth century, and even Salvador Dali mustaches that waiters were instructed to draw on their faces.

Hayden Panettiere wearing the Collin Signature Skinny in Blue Boar.