Balmain, Pierre

Balmain, Pierre

▪ French couturier
in full  Pierre-Alexandre-Claudius Balmain 
born May 18, 1914, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, Fr.
died June 29, 1982, Paris

      French couturier who in 1945 founded a fashion house that made his name a byword for elegance. His clients included the Duchess of Windsor (Windsor, Wallis Warfield, duchess of), the Queen of Belgium, and many of the leading film stars of the 1950s, as well as the experimental writer Gertrude Stein (Stein, Gertrude) and her companion, Alice B. Toklas.

      “Dressmaking is the architecture of movement,” declared Balmain, who had initially studied architecture. After apprenticing with Captain Edward Molyneux, he joined the firm of Lucien Lelong, where he worked with Christian Dior (Dior, Christian), who was to become his main rival during their heyday in the postwar years. The House of Balmain was an immediate success, its clothes characterized by superb quality, particularly in evening wear, which combined femininity with an imposing elegance. He rapidly expanded, opening branches in New York City and Caracas and diversifying into perfume and accessories. Among the actors for whom he designed clothing were Marlene Dietrich (Dietrich, Marlene), Katharine Hepburn (Hepburn, Katharine), Sophia Loren (Loren, Sophia), Ingrid Bergman (Bergman, Ingrid), and Brigitte Bardot (Bardot, Brigitte).

      He published his memoir, My Years and Seasons, in 1964 and in 1978 was made an officer of the Legion of Honour.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Balmain, Pierre — (1914 1982)    Born in the Savoie region of France, Balmain opened his couture house, Maison Balmain, in Paris in 1945. He is known for his beautifully executed and luxuriously embellished designs. Balmain was a dear friend and colleague of… …   Historical Dictionary of the Fashion Industry

  • Balmain, Pierre (-Alexandre-Claudius) — born May 18, 1914, Saint Jean de Maurienne, Fr. died June 29, 1982, Paris French fashion designer. He gave up architectural studies to become a designer in 1934. He worked briefly with Christian Dior, who became his rival after World War II.… …   Universalium

  • Balmain, Pierre (-Alexandre-Claudius) — (18 may. 1914, Saint Jean de Maurienne, Francia–29 jun. 1982, París). Diseñador de modas francés. En 1934 renunció a los estudios de arquitectura para convertirse en diseñador. Trabajó breve tiempo con Christian Dior, quien llegó a ser su rival… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • BALMAIN (P.) — BALMAIN PIERRE (1914 1982) Créateur réputé de la «Jolie Madame», Pierre Balmain symbolise la haute couture de l’après guerre dans ce qu’elle eut de raffiné, de parisien. Né à Saint Jean de Maurienne, il vient à Paris effectuer des études… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Pierre — /pear/ for 1; /pee air / or, Fr., /pyerdd/ for 2, n. 1. a city in and the capital of South Dakota, in the central part, on the Missouri River. 11,973. 2. a male given name, form of Peter. * * * I City (pop., 2000: 13,876), capital of South Dakota …   Universalium

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  • Pierre Balmain — Balmain Unternehmenslogo Pierre Balmain und Ruth Ford, fotog …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Balmain (fashion house) — Balmain is a fashion house that was founded by Pierre Balmain.In the period following World War II, Pierre Balmain was a king of French fashion and outfitted stars including Ava Gardner and Brigitte Bardot.Yaeger, Lynn. Balmain Nouveau. Vogue… …   Wikipedia

  • Pierre Balmain — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Pierre Balmain Pierre Balmain y Ruth Ford, fotografiados por Carl Van Vechten en 1947 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Balmain — can refer to:Places: * Balmain, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia * Balmain East, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia * Balmain, a town in Trinidad and TobagoPeople with the surname Balmain: * William Balmain (1762… …   Wikipedia

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