As a young child Pierre Balmain experienced a great loss, the death of his father at age 7. He was an only child and after that was raised by his mother who ran a fashion boutique. He studied Architecture and at age 20 started working for Captain Edward Molyneux who advised him to devote himself to dress design, Balmain took the advice and worked for him as assistant designer for the Molyneux house for five years. After that he was called into the army and in 1940 returned to France to work with Lucien Lelong where he worked side by side with Christian Dior until 1945. That same year he opened his own couture house "Maison Balmain". Pierre Balmain of course was greatly influenced by Molyneux and shared similar thoughts and experiences with Dior. Although Dior was credited with the "new look" Balmain credited himself and cited it in his first collection of 1945 as evidence it met all the requirements of a the new look: a small waist, high bust, rounded hips, and long full skirts. He was credited for the new look by critics along with other designers but Dior was the only one fully credited for creating the look. This designer became an icon because of his impeccable construction and simple elegance in each of his designs. He believed in simplicity and detested excessive ornamentation in making garments spectacular he thought everyone had to "keep to the basic principles of fashion..." that way they would "...always be in harmony with the latest trends without falling prey to them." He wanted to beautify the world as an architect and he took his knowledge to influence on his later designs. He also believed "nothing is more important in a dress than its construction." Balmain is truly a fashion icon he made a great impact on young new designers and also contributed in reviving french haute couture after World War I. He promoted that French Couture defined the ideal of elegance and refinement.
His standards of elegance were so high that he became one of few French couturiers to design for theatre, ballet, cinema, and even royalty. These standards were later regarded in the world of couture by many designers. Pierre Balmain of course had his own previous designer influences, most of them coming from his first job with designer Edward Molyneux, Balmain defined him as a true creator and learned from him about finding elegance in simplicity, making his influences evident in later designs under his own couture house. This designer reflects the zeitgeist of time based on the simplicity of his designs making it supporting during the war, although later contradicting it with the "new look." but even though he adopted or "created" that look his designs were always elegant and of course relevant to his time.
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| Oscar De la Renta |
Pierre Balmain popularized and was credited with creating the stole as an accessory for day and evening wear leaving it as a trend for many special occasion wear and influencing other designers. His basic silhouette was slim for the day and full skirted for evenings. He created a lasting silhouette which was very feminine, longer bell shaped higher bust lines, narrow shoulders and smaller waist reflecting of course on the "new look." Balmain is also greatly remembered for his use of embroidered fabrics for evening wear. This designer has left a great impact on young new designers for example Oscar de la Renta, who took over in 1993. De la Renta uses Balmain's silhouettes and designs as an influence for his own present designs. Pierre Balmain left for everyone the idea of elegance in couture fashion. Influences on present fashion from this designer include of course the stole and the elegance and femininity of couture clothing for women.Works Cited
Major, John S. "Balmain, Pierre." Berg fashion library. Berg Publishers 2010. 23 August 2011 <http://www.bergfashionlibrary.com/view/bazf/bazf00052.xml?q=pierre%20balmain& isfuzzy=no#highlightAnchor>
Price, Holly, and Anne Stegmeyer Who's who in fashion fifth edition New York, NY: Fairchild books, 2010
Seaman, Margo, and Nelly Rhodes. "Balmain, Pierre." Contemporary Fashion. Ed. Taryn Benbow-Pfalzgraf. 2nd ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 2002. 41-44. Gale Power Search. Web. 24 Aug. 2011. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CCX3401400039&v=2.1&u=fashionidm&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w >
The house of Balmain "The history of a great couturier." Balmain 2009-2010. 23 August 2011. <http://www.balmain.com/en/histoire-maison-de-couture-balmain/>
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