Pierre Alexandre Claudius Balmain (b. St. Jean de Maurienne, France, May 18, 1904 – Paris, France, June 29, 1982) was a French fashion designer. Known for sophistication and elegance, he once said that "dressmaking is the architecture of movement."
Balmain's father, who died when the future designer was 7 years old, was the owner of a wholesale drapery business. His mother and her sisters operated a fashion boutique. Balmain studied architecture ...
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Pierre Alexandre Claudius Balmain (b. St. Jean de Maurienne, France, May 18, 1904 – Paris, France, June 29, 1982) was a French fashion designer. Known for sophistication and elegance, he once said that "dressmaking is the architecture of movement."
Balmain's father, who died when the future designer was 7 years old, was the owner of a wholesale drapery business. His mother and her sisters operated a fashion boutique. Balmain studied architecture at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, but did not complete his studies. He spent his time there designing dresses. While attending the Ecole des Beaux Arts, Balmain went to Molyneux, who promised to give him a trial. Balmain then left his architectural studies to work for the fashion designer Edward Molyneux, for whom he worked from 1934 until 1939. He joined Lucien Lelong after World War II and opened his own fashion house in 1945. The house showcased long bell-shaped skirts with small waists - a line which later became popular as Dior's New Look. In...
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