Pierre balmain designs
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Legendary French couturier Pierre Balmain (1914 – 82) spent his early years working in wartime Paris alongside fellow up-and-coming designer Christian Dior. This extract from his 1964 autobiography describes the 'Birth of Balmain', his very first fashion show.
For that first collection I had a staff of 24. Today the house of Balmain employs about 600, 450 in the making and sale of model dresses, and 150 for the boutique. These figures do not take into account, of course, the employees of the factories which make Balmain jerseys, scarves, etc.
I congratulated myself that the drawing-room where the showing was to take place had been decorated in admirable taste. The walls were painted in aquamarine blue with white mouldings, and the ceiling of angels imprisoned in oval frames had been painted about 1890 by a Princesse de Broglie, whose family still owned the house. The curtains were of white mercerised linen (a textile finishing treatment which improves strength) and I had had reproductions of 18th-century chairs made at Aix-les-Bains.
This was the setting in which w
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Biography
Pierre Alexandre Claudius Balmain (1914 – 1982) was a French fashion designer and founder of leading post-war fashion house Balmain.
Pierre was born on May 18 in the French town of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. His father owned a small garment factory and his mother was a style consultant. From childhood, Pierre loved to observe the creativity and work of his parents, as he was fascinated by the process of creating exquisite clothes, which seemed to him sheer miracles.
After graduating from school, Pierre leaves his hometown for the capital of France — Paris. In 1934 he enters the Academy of Fine Arts (Académie des Beaux-Arts), where he begins to study architecture. During the day, he spends time at the Academy, while devoting the evenings to drawing sketches of luxurious evening dresses. A fluke gives Pierre an opportunity to meet the then-famous designer, Robert Piguet, and show him some of the sketches. The designer highly appreciates the talent of the future couturier, and even purchases three sketches from him. This helps Balmain to realize that creating exqui
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Pierre Balmain
French fashion designer (1914–1982)
Pierre Alexandre Claudius Balmain (French pronunciation:[pjɛʁbalmɛ̃]; 18 May 1914 – 29 June 1982) was a French fashion designer and founder of leading post-war fashion house Balmain. Known for sophistication and elegance, he described the art of dressmaking as "the architecture of movement".[2]
Early life
Balmain's father, who died when the future designer was seven, owned a wholesale drapery business. His mother, Françoise, ran a fashion boutique called Galeries Parisiennes with her sisters.[1] He went to school at Chambéry and, during weekends with his uncle in the spa town of Aix-les-Bains, his interest in couture fashion was inspired by society women he met.[1]
Balmain began studying architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts in 1933, also undertaking freelance work drawing for the designer Robert Piguet.
Career
After visiting the studio of Edward Molyneux in 1934, he was offered a job, leaving his studies and working for the designer for the succeeding five yea
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