In 1947, Normandy-Born Christian Dior Opened His Own Fashion Company After Working for Top Designers Robert Piguet and Lucien Lelong
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House of Dior In 1947, Normandy-born CHRISTIAN DIOR opened his own fashion company after working for top designers Robert Piguet and Lucien Lelong. Dior’s talent and creativity changed the direction of mid-twentieth century fashion. His “New Look” (named by then Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar Carmel Snow) elevated Dior to the status of one of the most famous designers in fashion history. The “New Look” presented a full bosom atop a narrow waistline from which flared full skirts with hemlines at the wearer’s calves. Dior’s “New Look” silhouette, even today, remains popular. Dior’s designers attracted a wide range of clients from Hollywood stars to European royalty. With Dior’s death in 1957, his assistant Yves Saint Laurent was named principal designer. In 1960, Saint Laurent was replaced by Marc Bohan who was principal designer until 1989. From 1989 through 1997, Gianfranco Ferré was chief designer. John Galliano took over in 1997, with his first collection shown on the 50th anniversary of the label. Galliano established the look of the “Anything Goes” era with his extreme makeover of the house. Bill Gaytten, Galliano’s right-hand man, was named Artistic Director of Haute Couture for the House of Dior in 2011. House of Balmain The Balmain name evokes a unique concept of elegance, a clientele of royalty and film stars, and a fashion hallmark recognized throughout the world. PIERRE BALMAIN was renowned for his philosophy that fashion brought forth the architecture of movement. Born in 1914, Balmain studied to be an architect, though he never finished his studies. He soon found himself employed by top Parisian fashion designers; first at the House of Robert Piguet, then Lucien Lelong, then on to the House of Molyneux. In 1945, he founded the House of Balmain in Paris. There, he professed that the beauty of couture brought life to the human form, and emphasized the importance of construction in each dress design. For Balmain, the elegance of fashion was captured in a true simplicity of his designs. Balmain credited himself as the creator of the “New Look” following World War II; yet this silhouette of fashion styling was ultimately credited to Christian Dior. In 1951, Balmain opened a highly successful ready-to-wear shop in New York City which featured simple, tailored two-piece suits as well as impressive, glamorous evening gowns. He also toured the world presenting lectures on the art of haute couture and distinctive French fashions. The elegance of his fashion designs also appeared in opera, ballet, and cinema productions. Balmain died in 1982; the design responsibilities of the house were handled by Erik Mortensen until 1990 at which time Hervé Pierre took over designing Balmain haute couture and ready-to-wear designs. From 1993 until 2002, a young Oscar de la Renta served as Artistic Director of Haute Couture department. From March 2002 until the end of 2004, Laurent Mercier acted as Artistic Director. From 2006 through 2011, Christophe Decarnin was principal designer. Today, Olivier Rousteing oversees the House of Balmain. House of Saint Laurent The House of Saint Laurent was founded by YVES SAINT LAURENT and his partner, Pierre Bergé (1930- ), in 1961. During the next two decades, the house brought forth such innovative designs as the beatnik look, safari jackets for women and men, snug-fitting pants, and thigh-high boots. In 1966, Saint Laurent designed his version of a tuxedo suit for women. Known as Le Smoking suit, its popularity grew rapidly within the global marketplace. Also at this time, he created ready-to-wear fashions under his Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche line of clothing, with boutiques that carried the same name. In 1985, fashion historian Caroline Rennolds Milbank wrote that Saint Laurent is “the most consistently celebrated and influential designer of the past twenty-five years.” His clients eagerly sought out the designs in his runway shows. In 1993, the House of Saint Laurent was sold with Yves Saint Laurent remaining as the couture designer; Alber Elbaz was brought in for the 1998-1999 seasons to design fashions for the ready-to-wear division. In 1999, Gucci bought the Yves Saint Laurent brand and hired Tom Ford to design the popular ready-to-wear collections; Saint Laurent continued to design the haute couture collection until 2002 when his health failed after years of alcoholism, drug abuse, and chronic depression. The couture collection closed, although the Saint Laurent brand remains to this day as part of the Gucci Company’s holdings. In 2004, Stefano Pilati replaced Ford until 2012, when designer Hedi Slimane was brought in as Chief Designer..