Profile
Pierre Balmain is known for his unique sophistication and elegance and his design has been made for royalty and movie stars. He was focused on clean design with his famously tailored suits and evening gowns and a lot of his work has been costumes for international films. Even though Pierre Balmain is no longer with us, his signature design still lives on through every collection.
Nationality
French
Biograhpy
Pierre Balmain was born in 1914 in St Jean de Maurienne, France. His father owned a wholesale drapery business but he past away when Balmain was only 7 years old. His mother and her sisters ran a fashion boutique where Balmain used to spend a lot of time as a child playing while they were making dresses. Balmain studied architecture at Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, but Balmain was more interested in fashion so he went on to be trained by two of the greatest designers of the time, Molyneux and Lucien Lelong. Right after the war, in 1945, he opened his own Haute Couture in Paris. Balmain started designing bell-shaped skirts with small waists. Same year Balmain launched his own perfume called Elysees 64-83, naming it after his own address. In 1951 he opened stores in the United States. Pierre Balmain’s fashion design developed into tailored suits and evening gowns and he designed personal wardrobes to stars like Katherine Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot. Balmain was also chosen to be the personal couturier of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of Thailand. Balmain was costume designer to many films and was nominated numerous times for the best film costumes. In 1964 he wrote a autobiography called My Years and Seasons. Pierre Balmain past away in 1982 and his work was passed onto his personal assistant and closest collaborator since 1951, danish Erik Mortensen. Erik maintained the Balmain traditions but he also developed the styles of it’s founder. Erik Mortensen left the Balmain empire and was replaced by Herve-Pierre.
Collections
Balmain Women Collection for Spring 2010
Online Stores
We haven’t updated this information yet
Store Locations
We haven’t updated this information yet
Official Website
http://www.balmain.com
Image source: thebsreport.wordpress.com, timeinc.net, cforchic.blogspot.com, lustluv.blogspot.com