Pierre Balmain founded his now-iconic label in 1945. Alongside fellow couture titans Christian Dior and Hubert de Givenchy, the French designer's postwar take on luxe dressing featured bell-shaped skirts falling from slender waists, structured jackets over sheath day dresses and embellishments like fur trim; he called the look “Jolie Madame.” The Duchess of Windsor was an early fan, prompting an aristocratic following.
From the voluminous skirts of the post-World War II “New Look” favored by Hollywood icons like Audrey Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich to the sleek, skinny jeans seen on Nicki Minaj, Kid Cudi and every Kardashian, clothes from the House of Balmain have long been mainstays in celebrity wardrobes.
The son of a dressmaker and a drapery salesman, Balmain's founder was born in 1914 in southeastern France and formed an interest in fashion at an early age. His mother wanted her son to be an architect — but the principles of design and structure that Pierre learned in his brief studies at the École des Beaux Arts served him well throughout his career.
Balmain was among the first to offer French looks to the American market. Since the death of the founder in 1982, the design reins at the company have been handed to luminaries such as Oscar de la Renta and Olivier Rousteing, an alum of Roberto Cavalli who was installed as creative director at the label in 2011.
Today’s Balmain has more in common with the master’s original haute couture than you might expect: sharply tailored blazers that nip in at the waist, delicate stilettos and ultra-feminine evening dresses are wardrobe basics for the 21st-century woman, too. Lovers of couture history will also prize the fluid, easy sketches from the master’s own hand they’ll find on offer here, while fashionistas clamor for the brand’s t-shirts, military-style jackets and skinny jeans.
Whether you’re a colonel in Rousteing’s “glamour army” or you fancy yourself a “Jolie Madame,” a Balmain piece — from the 1960s or even last season — will add a bold, sexy note to your look. Daytime or night, Balmain feels right now.
Find vintage Pierre Balmain dresses, skirts, scarves and other garments and accessories on 1stDibs.
Pierre Balmain Paris 346 Zig Zag
By Pierre Balmain
Located in Bristol, CT
Original Pierre Balmain (1914-1982) couture fashion hand-coloured plate with 3 fabric swatches attached designed for New York society icon Nan Kempner (1930-2005) circa 1970s Plate ...
Fabric
Piazza di Spagna Roma
By Yves Brayer
Located in London, GB
'Piazza di Spagna, Roma' oil on canvas, by Yves Brayer (1933). At the bottom of the Spanish Steps, is one of the most famous squares in Rome. It owes ...
Canvas, Oil
$901Sale Price|76% Off
H 28.75 in W 23.63 in D 0.79 in
Royal Meoxit Cat Pop Art - Chut les Barbizons! Ready to Hang French School
Located in Zofingen, AG
Portrait Royal Meoxit Cat Portrait closeup of a cat with Royal cloak painted during Brexit Technique: oil, acrylics and ink on canvas 73x60cm ■■ 28,7x23,6inch ⏩》R E A D Y -- T O...
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Spray Paint, Acrylic
$2,404Sale Price|50% Off
H 35.83 in W 40.36 in
Rococò French painter - 18th century figure painting - Gallant scene Lancret
Located in Varmo, IT
French Rococo painter (18th century) - Gallant scene in a landscape. 63.5 x 76 cm without frame, 91 x 102.5 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in a carved and gilded wo...
Oil, Canvas
$2,138Sale Price|20% Off
H 28 in W 38 in D 3 in
Vintage Painting of Children Fishing at River Summer in the English Countryside
Located in Preston, GB
Vintage Painting of Children Fishing at River in Summer in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist, Paul Morgan Art measures 30 x 20 inches Frame measures 38 x 28 inc...
Canvas, Oil
$4,207Sale Price|22% Off
H 18.51 in W 28.75 in
Caravaggist Italian painter - 17th century figure painting - Saint Jerome
Located in Varmo, IT
Caravaggesque painter (17th century) - Saint Jerome. 47 x 73 cm. Antique oil painting on canvas, without frame (not signed). Condition report: Lined canvas. Good state of conserva...
Canvas, Oil
$1,261Sale Price|20% Off
H 17 in W 21 in D 2 in
Young Boy Fishing in River with Cottage in Wild Meadow in English Countryside
Located in Preston, GB
Young Boy Fishing in River with Cottage in a Wild Meadow in the English Countryside by British Artist, Les Parson Art measures 16 x 12 inches Frame measu...
Canvas, Oil
$2,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 30.25 in W 40.25 in D 1.5 in
"Morning" Nude Couple in Bed - Figurative Composition in Oil on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
Delicate and expressive depiction of a nude couple by Byron Richard Rodarmel (American, 1932-2007). A couple is intertwined on a bed, rendered in a soft palette of peach, yellow, pin...
Canvas, Oil
$601Sale Price|58% Off
H 27.37 in W 26.78 in
Duska Markotić (Croatian artist) - 20th century winter landscape painting
Located in Varmo, IT
Duska Markotić (Croatia, 20th century) - Winter landscape. 50 x 50 cm without frame, 69.5 x 69.5 cm with frame. Oil on canvas, within passe-partout in wooden frame. - Work signed ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,480Sale Price|20% Off
H 25 in W 35 in D 2 in
Farmhouse by a River in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Farmhouse by a River in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist, Peter J Greenhill Art measures 30 x 20 inches Frame measures 35 x 2...
Canvas, Oil
$542Sale Price|20% Off
H 10 in W 13 in D 1 in
Miniature Landscape with Waterfall - Vintage Oil Painting by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Miniature Landscape with Waterfall - Vintage Oil Painting by British Artist, David James. Art measures 10 x 7 inches Frame measures 13 x 10 i...
Canvas, Oil
$2,459Sale Price|55% Off
H 21 in W 27 in D 2 in
Original Painting of the London Underground by Contemporary Urban Artist
By Angela Wakefield
Located in Preston, GB
Original Painting of the London Underground by Leading Contemporary British Artist, Angela Wakefield Art measures 24 x 18 inches Frame measure 27 x 21 inches Angela Wakefield has...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,250
H 36 in W 48 in
Musicians in the Street, Folk Art Oil on Canvas Painting by Jalal Gharbi
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jalal Gharbi, Tunisian/American (1920 - 2005) - Musicians in the Street, Year: circa 1970, Medium: Oil on Canvas, Size: 36 x 48 in. (91.44 x 121.92 cm), Description: An oil paint...
Canvas, Oil