I am continuing on with my style histories in 2020! I really enjoy researching and writing these. Not only are these a fantastic education in modern fashion history, they give a much broader context to what we see today. For example, given the chunky Balenciaga sneakers that are so popular, I never would have understood why Balenciaga was the “master of us all” without doing my research. So, today I turn my gaze to Pierre Balmain. A contemporary of Dior and Balenciaga, we still see Balmain on the red carpet and runway today. What is the history of Balmain, and why is he an important figure in fashion history?
In the twenty first century, Balmain is a well-known design house. It is associated with sleek, sexy, and sophisticated evening wear, and is worn by Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, and the Kardashians, among many other celebrities. A recent collaboration with H&M boosted the house’s popularity further. However, is what we see now from Balmain anything like the house’s origins in post-war Paris? Read on…
History of Balmain- Who Was Pierre Balmain?
Like many other designers, Pierre Balmain was familiar with fabric. Born on 18 May 1914, Balmain’s father ran a drapery business before dying when Balmain was seven years old. His mother and sister owned a fashion boutique that they ran after his father’s death, and a young Balmain worked there himself. (A similar theme for many mid-twentieth century designers…)
Balmain began his career studying architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts in 1933. However, he happened to visit designer Edward Molyneux’s studio in 1934. He left the world of architecture and took a job working for Molyneux. He worked for the designer for 5 years, but changed course once the Second World War started. Serving in both the French air corps and the pioneer army corps, Balmain did find his way back to fashion. He worked at Lucien Lelong during the latter half of the Second World War, and worked with Christian Dior there.
The House of Balmain- Origins
Like several other designers, Balmain opened his house in post-war Paris. The House of Balmain opened in 1945 at 44, rue François 1er. The house was known for small waists and longer bell shaped skirts. (Similar but not quite as extreme as Dior’s New Look.) His first collection debuted in October of 1945. It garnered rave reviews, and the November 1945 issue of Vogue praised the collection for being gorgeous and wearable. (That wasn’t always a given…)
Balmain understood that he needed to promote himself. He secured an early fan in the Duchess of Windsor (much like Schiaparelli). Balmain also undertook visits to Australia and the US, to promote and further his reach. Pushing into the US was a fantastic move for him, as his ready to wear pieces took off. It also brought in needed exposure: Hollywood. Golden Age stars like Marlene Dietrich, Katherine Hepburn, Ava Gardner, and Brigitte Bardot all favoured Balmain. (Dietrich actually wore Balmain pieces in the 1951 film No Highway in the Sky.) And possibly the biggest coup of all? He was selected to design Queen Sirikit of Thailand’s wardrobe for her 1960 tour of the US.
Phil Stanziola, World Telegram staff photographer – Library of Congress. New York World-Telegram & Sun Collection. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c28926
The House of Balmain- Post-Balmain
Balmain passed at away at the age of 68 at the American Hospital of Paris, from liver cancer in June 1982. He had completed sketches for his last fall collection. Erik Mortensen, who was Balmain’s life partner and right hand man, took the helm of the house. Mortensen carried on with Balmain’s sense of creativity while also continually adapting to the changing world of couture, and won several awards. However, after leaving in 1990, he was replaced by one of the most notable figures in fashion: Oscar de la Renta.
De la Renta led Balmain from 1993 and 2002, already an established and lauded designer in fashion. He was much like Balmain, who preferred simplicity and classic designs to elaborate and busy pieces. Couture as a whole was suffering, and de la Renta was key in heralding Balmain through a difficult time in fashion.
The House of Balmain- Twenty First Century
The two designers who have taken the lead at Balmain in the twenty-first century are quite the opposite to Balmain and de la Renta. Chrisopher Decarnin, creative director from 2006 to 2011, went in a different directed. Decarnin truly favoured bling and flash, and designed for a more expensive market. Although it is radically different from Pierre Balmain’s vision, it is still seen in the brand today. (While it may seem a little much in some situations, in the mid-2000s, it was right on trend.)
Olivier Rousteing was chosen to pick up from Decarnin in 2011. He joined Balmain in 2009, and had previously worked under Roberto Cavalli. Not quite the same as Decarnin’s take, Rousteing does favour embellishment and detailing in his designs. He also tends to bring in an Asian influence, which we don’t tend to consistently see in fashion today. Notably, there have been several big name colloborations under Rousteing. There was a 2015 collection for H&M that sold out immediately. A 2017 collaboration with Victoria’s Secret and a 2019 collaboration with Kylie Jenner’s make up line only further promoted the Balmain name. And so the Balmain evolution continues!
Further Readings
“Gertrude Stein on Pierre Balmain’s 1945 Couture Debut” in Vogue.
Sadly, there is not a lot on Pierre Balmain or the house. If you know of any resources (books, articles, documentaries, podcast episodes, etc), please let me know!
♠
If you are interested in reading some of my other Style History profiles, you can find them here:
Are you familiar with the history of Balmain, and Pierre Balmain as a designer?
Cheers,
The Historian
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin’
1 thought on “Style History: Balmain”