Who Yelled "Balenciaga!"? Unpacking Myrtle Snow‘s Final Word in American Horror Story: Coven

Myrtle Snow, the gloriously bizarre witch played by Frances Conroy on American Horror Story: Coven, leaves us with a single perplexing word before meeting her demise – "Balenciaga!"

This flamboyant farewell has had AHS fans in a frenzy since 2013. Why shout a designer‘s name as your last living act? What meaning lies behind Myrtle‘s dramatic decision to cry out "Balenciaga!" right before being burned at the stake?

As a tech expert and pop culture analyst, I‘ve gone deep on the context, theories, and behind-the-scenes secrets around Myrtle‘s iconic AHS line. Read on for the fascinating backstory behind one of American Horror Story‘s most unforgettable moments!

Who Exactly is Myrtle Snow?

To appreciate Myrtle‘s last word, we need to understand Myrtle. So let‘s back up and explore who this eccentric character is on American Horror Story: Coven.

Myrtle Snow enters the scene as a member of the Witches‘ Council, overseeing the New Orleans coven. She‘s introduced with a playful yet tense rivalry with Fiona Goode (Jessica Lange), the longstanding Supreme.

Right away we get a sense of Myrtle‘s flamboyant personality. She scolds the young witches for wearing polyester and declares that couture is her "one true passion."

Frances Conroy‘s scene-stealing performance presents Myrtle as quirky, sly, and a touch melodramatic. She clearly marches to the beat of her own drum.

But Myrtle also harbors suspicions that Fiona is abusing her powers as Supreme and harming the coven. Myrtle persuades Queenie and Madison Montgomery to help set a trap to unmask Fiona’s transgressions.

This leads to Myrtle being framed by Fiona for an acid attack on Fiona’s daughter, Cordelia Foxx (Sarah Paulson). In a devastating betrayal, Myrtle is condemned to burn at the stake for this crime she didn‘t commit.

Myrtle chooses to proudly embrace her fate. In one of AHS‘s most visually stunning scenes, Myrtle prepares for her execution by dressing in a flowing red gown and walking through the desert.

Surrounded by flames at the stake, Myrtle has one last chance to speak. And that‘s when she utters that perplexing phrase – “Balenciaga!” – before meeting her apparent end.

Of course, death doesn‘t stick for long on American Horror Story. In a delightfully campy twist, Myrtle is soon resurrected and returns to the coven with her eccentricities intact.

But Myrtle‘s demise remains one of Coven‘s most impactful scenes, thanks largely to that final fashionable flourish.

So Why "Balenciaga!"?

Alright, let‘s get into the heart of this fashionable mystery – why did Myrtle Snow specifically yell “Balenciaga!” as her end drew near?

As a fashion-loving witch through and through, Myrtle‘s last word is clearly meant to evoke haute couture. But what is the significance of invoking this particular designer?

Here are some of the main theories and interpretations of Myrtle’s memorable AHS line:

1. An homage to couture

The most straightforward explanation is that Myrtle is paying tribute to her greatest passion – high fashion design.

Cristóbal Balenciaga was a seminal Spanish couturier who founded the fashion label Balenciaga in 1917. His innovative creations revolutionized the craft of fashion.

Balenciaga‘s groundbreaking designs included the sack dress, balloon jacket, high-waisted babydoll dress, cocoon coat, and the tunic silhouette. His expert use of fabric set a new standard in women’s fashion.

To a fashion devotee like Myrtle, Balenciaga represents the pinnacle of couture. What better way to consummate her love affair with fashion than to invoke this icon‘s name?

As Myrtle tells Entertainment Weekly: "My final word was my tribute to all things couture." Simple as that.

2. A defiant final act

Shouting “Balenciaga!” can also be seen as one last moment of defiance from Myrtle against her captors.

Even facing death, Myrtle refuses to exit the world quietly or somberly. She uses her final opportunity to make a loud, flashy statement celebrating her passion for fashion.

This line sums up Myrtle’s bold, eccentric personality in her finest moment. Condemned by those who don‘t understand her, she turns her execution into a fashion spectacle on her own terms.

Yelling “Balenciaga!” allows Myrtle to fully inhabit her fabulously weird self right up until the flames consume her. What better way to go out?

3. A message for her rival, Fiona

Given the tense dynamic between Myrtle and Fiona Goode, this last word could also be interpreted as a subtle dig at her rival.

Fiona is the Supreme of the coven yet cares little for upholding its traditions. She mocks Myrtle’s fashion sense as being “strictly high-end vagrant.”

Meanwhile, Myrtle never misses a chance to criticize Fiona’s taste in clothing. “Is that a disco dress?" she quips about one of Fiona‘s outfits.

So as Fiona gets set to burn Myrtle alive, yelling “Balenciaga!” seems intended to pointedly remind Fiona that true couture is forever out of her reach. Even facing death, Myrtle gets in one last fashion diss against the Supreme.

4. Foreshadowing Cordelia‘s rise

A compelling fan theory suggests “Balenciaga!” subtly hints at Cordelia Foxx being revealed as the new Supreme.

In the episode immediately after Myrtle’s execution, Cordelia is reborn, cutting her hair short and adopting a new edgy, winged-eyeliner look.

As one insightful Redditor points out, Cordelia’s makeover recalls styles that Balenciaga created in the late 1930s – the bold shoulders, strong eyeliner, and sleek hair.

So Myrtle shouting the designer’s name could be a low-key omen that her protégé Cordelia is about to step into her power. Even in death, Myrtle sets the stage for this passing of the torch.

5. Just Myrtle indulging her quirky humor

But according to AHS creator Ryan Murphy, we may be overthinking things. As he told EW:

"She‘s a nutbag conjurer of the vainest order. I loved that line…It was just so completely random and funny. It‘s an inside joke to Myrtle and her love of couture and fashion.”

In other words, Myrtle simply chose to indulge her oddball sense of humor one last time. The absurdity of yelling a fashion label as your end nears does seem to fit Myrtle‘s theatrical personality perfectly.

Perhaps the phrase has no deeper meaning than encapsulating Myrtle’s eternally weird, fabulous essence. And really, do we need more explanation than that?

The Cultural Significance of “Balenciaga!”

As a pop culture analyst, I’m fascinated by how Myrtle’s prominent invoking of Balenciaga reflects haute couture‘s place in the cultural zeitgeist.

Believe it or not, the global market value for haute couture was estimated at $3.55 billion in 2022. And houses like Chanel, Dior, and Armani still unveil expensive, handcrafted couture collections twice a year in Paris.

Yet for most people, true couture lies completely outside their reality. So a character like Myrtle obsessing over Balenciaga represents an extremes of fashion. It taps into the awe, amusement and voyeurism we feel about the world of über-exclusive design.

By shouting “Balenciaga!”, Myrtle signals both her personal passion for couture and its cultural mystique in the audience’s imagination. It’s a tongue-in-cheek way to acknowledge couture’s place as a symbol of inaccessible luxury.

And in typically playful AHS fashion, it pokes fun at couture’s own occasional absurdity and excess. Of course a character would embrace high fashion as she dramatically marches to her death!

So Myrtle’s last word offers a fascinating window into our shared cultural ideas about design, luxury, conspicuous consumption and the sometimes-fine line between creative expression and self-indulgence. All packed into one devilishly funny moment!

Behind the Scenes: Filming Myrtle’s Swan Song

While “Balenciaga!” was scripted, it turns out some other aspects of Myrtle’s dramatic death scene came together by chance on filming day. Here’s a look behind the scenes:

– Myrtle’s gown was not actually Balenciaga:

Despite her Balenciaga shoutout, Myrtle’s final dress wasn’t an original creation from Cristóbal Balenciaga.

Costume designer Lou Eyrich admitted to Entertainment Weekly: “The budget prevented us from actually using a Balenciaga".

Instead, they chose a scarlet-colored gown by Carolina Herrera that Eyrich felt "really embodied Myrtle‘s spirit." A wise choice that still reflects Myrtle‘s couture-loving personality.

– The Lagerfeld-esque characters were unplanned:

Myrtle‘s stylish escorts to the stake also evoked high fashion, with their sunglasses, black suits and European flair.

Ryan Murphy revealed these details emerged spontaneously on set. The actors “showed up that day, and they looked like they just stepped off the train from East Berlin in 1982. They looked like German fashion designers from the 80s.”

In other words, the wardrobe and styling organically came together to echo Karl Lagerfeld and his signature look. An auspicious accident for Myrtle’s fashionable farewell!

– Many takes were ruined by weather:

Frances Conroy shared that filming the execution scene was complicated by the desert winds.

The gusts kept causing her dress to wrap around the stake in “pretzel-like shapes,” leading to many ruined takes.

So Myrtle rallying the elements with her forceful “Balenciaga!” cry makes sense – Conroy had to fight the weather to get the moment right!

The Enduring Legacy of Myrtle Snow

While it spans just a single, strange word, Myrtle’s “Balenciaga!” line remains an iconic moment in American Horror Story history.

Along with her vibrant wardrobe and lecturing on the importance of couture, this fashionable farewell line perfectly encapsulates what makes Myrtle Snow so fabulous.

She represents Coven embracing a campy, outré sensibility that sets AHS apart. Myrtle steals every scene she‘s in thanks to her larger-than-life personality and screwed-up priorities.

Yet we root for her nonetheless, thanks to Frances Conroy’s humor and humanity in the role. Myrtle’s flaws make her that much more endearing.

In the rich canon of AHS characters, few stand out more than Myrtle Snow. She‘s emerged as a fan favorite precisely because of her hilarious, shameless extravagance.

So while her final “Balenciaga!” may not have a deep hidden meaning, it certainly cements Myrtle as an iconic part of AHS history. It‘s an appropriately avant-garde, madcap, and memorable ending for American Horror Story’s supreme weirdo.

We wouldn‘t have it any other way! When I hear “Balenciaga!”, I just think: That’s our Myrtle, being her wonderfully odd self until the flaming end. What a way to go.