Pierre Balmain facts for kids

Balmain designed outfits for then Queen Sirikit of Thailand for her 1960 tour of the US

Pierre Alexandre Claudius Balmain was a famous French fashion designer. He started his own fashion house called Balmain. He was known for making elegant and sophisticated clothes. He once said that designing clothes was like "the architecture of movement." He was born on May 18, 1914, and passed away on June 29, 1982.

Early Life and Learning

Pierre Balmain's father had a business selling fabrics. His father died when Pierre was only seven years old. His mother, Françoise, owned a fashion shop called Galeries Parisiennes with her sisters.

Pierre went to school in Chambéry. On weekends, he visited his uncle in Aix-les-Bains. There, he saw many stylish women. This made him interested in fashion design.

In 1933, Pierre started studying architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts. He also drew designs for another designer, Robert Piguet.

Starting His Fashion Career

In 1934, Pierre Balmain visited the studio of designer Edward Molyneux. Molyneux offered him a job. Pierre left his studies and worked for Molyneux for five years.

During World War II, he joined Lucien Lelong's fashion house. There, he met another young designer who would become famous, Christian Dior.

The Balmain Fashion House

Maison Balmain in Paris, 44 rue François-Ier.

The Balmain fashion house opened in 1945. At first, it showed long, bell-shaped skirts with small waists. This style became very popular after the war.

The first collection was shown in Vogue magazine in November. The reviewer loved the clothes, saying they were "beautiful clothes that you really want to wear."

A good review from Balmain's friend, Gertrude Stein, also helped him become successful. Early fans included the Duchess of Windsor, who ordered clothes from his collection.

Growing the Brand

Balmain quickly started promoting his designs around the world. He visited Australia in 1947 and even designed a clothing line to be made there.

In 1951, he expanded his business to the United States. He sold ready-to-wear clothes, which are clothes made in standard sizes. This earned him a special Neiman Marcus Fashion Award in 1955.

By this time, many famous people wore his clothes. These included stars like Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn.

Designing for Important People

Pierre Balmain was so well-known that he was chosen to design the entire wardrobe for Queen Sirikit of Thailand. This was for her trip to the United States in 1960.

In 1968, he created outfits for the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble. He also designed uniforms for airline cabin crew. These included TWA and Malaysia–Singapore Airlines (which later became Singapore Airlines) in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1975, the first female pilot for Air France wore a uniform designed by Balmain.

He also dressed Hope Portocarrero, the first lady of Nicaragua. She was then named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1968.

Working with Other Designers

Pierre Balmain worked with many talented people. Erik Mortensen started as a design assistant at Balmain in 1948. He and Balmain worked very well together and became close collaborators.

Margit Brandt also worked as a young designer with Pierre Balmain in the early 1960s. Balmain even noticed the talent of Karl Lagerfeld. He hired Lagerfeld in 1954 after judging a fashion competition that Lagerfeld won.

Today, Balmain's vintage (old but valuable) gowns are still very popular. Celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Penélope Cruz, Kate Moss, and Zendaya have worn them.

Costume Design for Shows and Movies

Pierre Balmain also designed costumes for plays and movies. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Costume Design. He won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design for the musical Happy New Year in 1980.

He designed costumes for Sophia Loren in the play The Millionairess (1960). He also designed for Josephine Baker's show in 1964.

Balmain was a costume designer for 16 films. These included And God Created Woman starring Brigitte Bardot. He also designed clothes for actresses like Vivien Leigh and Mae West for their movies. He made many dresses for the singer Dalida.

Balmain Perfumes

Pierre Balmain also created perfumes. His first scent was called Elysees 64-83 (1946). Another famous perfume was Vent Vert (1947). It was one of the best-selling perfumes in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Other perfumes he created include Jolie Madame (1953), Monsieur Balmain (1964), Miss Balmain (1967), and Ivoire (1979).

Later Life

Pierre Balmain passed away at the age of 68 in Paris. He had just finished the sketches for his fall collection.

See also

In Spanish: Pierre Balmain para niños