PIERRE BALMAIN

In the list of the most remarkable houses of fashion for several years now home means Balmen.
Its founder, Pierre Balmen (Pierre Balmain), was born in 1914. in the town of Saint-Jean de Navegadores in the mountains of Savoy. His father was the biggest wholesaler in tissues surrounding. Francoise BALLAMAN, the mother of fashion designer, has worked in the boutique of her sisters. After the death of his father, Pierre relationship with his mother and aunts were very close. Happy memories of his childhood were associated with mother's shop, where he played with fabrics and admired the beautiful clothes shoppers.

Mother hoped he would one day become a military surgeon, but the boy's heart always lay in sewing. Determine their own fate, he decided to go to learn design skills in Paris. However, because of fear of the mother to report the real reason for his departure, Pierre said that he decided to become an architect and plans to study at the School of Fine Arts. During his studies his notebook constantly replenished sketches fashion, rather than outline drawings. Suddenly, he was asked to work a junior artist in Molino, and given a month to think things over, explaining that after four weeks will tell whether it wants to engage Pierre architecture or it is intended to be a fashion designer. Architecture defeated.

In 1936, being called to military service, BALLAMAN already worked for two years at Molineux, has received from the teacher and five hundred francs, and the promise that at the time of the service workplace for them to continue. A young soldier was later transferred to Paris, where much of his free time spent at work at the Molino. After demobilization he was waiting for trouble - Molyneux did not keep promises.

In 1939, Mr.. Balmen starts at Lelong. After the war, Pierre returned to Ax-les-Bens, where he helped the mother in the newly opened store clothing.
In 1941, Mr.. Lucien Lelong rediscovered his house models and called Balmena back to Paris, promising that he and another young artist, Christian Dior, will fully control the entire cycle of a collection. A few years BALLAMAN and Dior have successfully worked side by side, exchanging ideas and complementing each other so that when the model finally became part of the collection, it was impossible to say with certainty who among them her two developed. They even started talking about opening a joint home, but this did not come true.

In 1945, Mr.. Balmen opened his own fashion house in Paris on the street Franцїois I, . House 44.V the same year on Oct. 14, he presented the first small collection, . which is based trouser suits with jackets of coarse cloth, . Kimono, . prisborennye shoulders, . evening suits, . narrow dresses of taffeta, . fluffy ball gowns, . decorated with artificial berries and leaves, . silver embroidery and sequins,
. His first collection became a symbol of luxury, so hopelessly neglected during the war years. Dress in submitting BALLAMAN, could no longer serve as a useful thing just beautiful - it again became a subject of pure beauty, an expression of elegance, grace and tenderness in silk and wool, lace, feathers and flowers. The new image of active, independent, elegant woman is embodied in "Julie Madame", which has become a symbol of the fifties, and his new models quickly found a grateful audience. American writer Gertrude Stein, a close friend BALLAMAN, found the most accurate definition of all that created her favorite designer: "The new French style. BALLAMAN was not just Decorators tissue or a tailor, he painted pictures.

Starting with simple drawings, he continued working out on an as-collection-building, allowing to crystallize ideas and explanations assert. Much attention is paid Balmen work with fur, . especially when it came to the elegant fluffy accents: Time of mink for transparent tulle evening dress, . leopard boas for the neck and sleeves of a long sheath dresses of satin, . Ermine Cloak, . velvet ribbon from karakulcha, . embroidered with pearls,
. Embroidery in Balmena executed in gold, bronze, included a whole range of subtle shades of gray, icy-blue. In the day's clothing such as overalls or suits with a skirt, often dominated by soft shades, mauve or pale yellow, pale almond.

As an extrovert, Balmen liked to party, he was seen everywhere. His passion for architecture manifested itself in collecting homes. In Paris apartment, he had a residence in Normandy, and Morocco. Perhaps the most extravagant of his dwelling was the Island of Elba, which it inch by inch redeemed in Thailand and redraw on their own. He loved to do for the theater and film, was costumers more than a hundred projects and clothed Britzhit Bardot, Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn. Many of his clients were wives of ambassadors and members of the royal family, including Queen Sirikit of Thailand.

Balmen was also a good and tenacious businessman. In 1947, Mr.. He opened his first boutique in Paris named "Beauty", under the name of the most famous of his silhouette. Other boutiques opened in Venezuela, Brazil and New York, represented the last line of pret-a-porter. Sports Line House called Elbalman ", performed on the Elbe. In 1947, Mr.. Balmain released spirits "Elysees 64-83" (his phone number). Other spirits are better known: "Jolie Madam", "Vent-Vert" and "Ivoire".

Since the death Balmena in 1982. his fashion house, . numerous offices and 220 licenses, . continued to exist under the leadership of Eric Mortensen, . Dane, . former right-hand Balmena and remember the words of man, . empire of which he headed: "the greatest simplicity - this is the supreme test of elegance",
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When in 1990. Erik Mortensen Balmen left the house, his place was taken by a young designer Herve-Pierre posed to House collections Haute Couture and pret-a-porter from 1990 to 1993. Since 1993, the collection of Haute Couture Pierre Balmain creates a globally recognized American designer Oscar de la Renta, livening up the line without disrupting the usual colors, flowing style, and not breaking the spirit of the Merry Madam ".

From September 1998 to March 2000 in place of artistic director for collections pret-a-porter (and design of licensed lines) was appointed Gilles Dufour, a former close aide Karl Lagerfeld. Now for the line Balmen pret-a-porter is responsible shop houses.