Fashion Friday // Pierre Cardin
"I have a name, I have to take advantage of it" - Pierre Cardin.
First FashionFriday of 2021! This one has been a few weeks in the planing following the passing of Pierre Cardin at the end of 2020.
Cardin’s designs regularly popped up during my days at Fashion school and during my time studying pattern cutting in st Martin’s (the two images below in particular) because his iconic style is an innovative pattern cutters dream to be tested on and recreate. In the years since, while freelancing, I have seen these designs time and time again being used as inspiration or ripped off by designers naively not realising the pattern cutter will instantly know the references (dummies)
Born in Venice, Italy in 1922 to french parents, his design career began
at age 14 when Cardin worked as a clothier’s apprentice, learning the basics of fashion design and construction. After the war he studied architecture which is apparent in his aesthetic. He had roles at Elsa Schiaparelli and Christian Dior where he was appointed head of Dior’s Tailleure Atelier in 1947 and is credited with masterminding the voluminous ‘New Look’. Cardin was denied work with Balenciaga and so went on to start his own house in 1950. He quickly differentiated himself with recurrent themes like space exploration, technology and architecture.
Known for his geometric silhouettes and motifs, such as the ‘Bubble’ dresses of 1954, ‘orbiting’ dresses, pleated ‘computer’ coats in the 70’s. He also took inspiration from Japanese-inspired pinafores which he created with thermo-formed fabric.
Images are a selection throughout 1950s-1980s
OTHER PC FACTS
Pierre Cardin opened a menswear boutique in Paris in 1957, called Adam. Selling new informal men’s clothing like collarless jackets and roll neck jumpers.
PC’s collarless suits went on to inspire the Beatles’ later stage costumes.
His design talents weren’t limited to just fashion. He was credited with masterminding one of the first truly international lifestyle brands and starting fashion merchandising.
“If I have made money with my licences, it is to be free, do something other than fashion. By changing professions I distract myself. There would not be a bigger punishment than forcing me to play the game.”
The designer created highly collectible furniture, a space suit for NASA in 1970 and expansive lines of jewellery and accessories. Purchased Paris’ iconic Maxim’s restaurant and took it international, as well as a Cardin-designed Parisian hotel. And last but not least his incredible home, designed by the Hungarian architect Antti Lovag and located on the Cote D'Azur, featuring interlocking bubbles in a salmon-pink hue. It’s one of the 20th century’s most indelible private residences with a value well above 100 million Euros!
