BALMAIN Pierre (Designer)

Mlle Laure de Noailles wears her debutante gown, with foaming tulle skirt, by Pierre Balmain. Vogue declared that "eventful skirts" were his speciality; they were often embellished with embroidered motifs such as leaves, cherries or scrolls. Trained as an architect, Balmain believed that both professions worked to beautify the world, declaring haute couture to be "the architecture of movement". In 1931 he was appointed junior designer at Molyneux. He then worked at Lucien Lelong where he was joined by Christian Dior; they collaborated for four years, nearly going into partnership together, but in 1945 Balmain left to establish his own house. Like Dior's New Look of 1947, Balmain's full-skirted silhouette was part of the new postwar luxury. Upon the designer's death in 1982, Balmain's assistant and close friend Erik Mortensen took over the brand, which today, helmed by Olivier Rousteing, continues to have contemporary relevance.

Also look up for Cavanagh, Dior, Lelong, Molyneux, Piguet, De la Renta