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
$13,153
H 21.66 in Dm 15.75 in
Italian 18th Century Oval Religious Oil on Canvas Painting with Saint Dominic
By Francesco de Mura
Located in Firenze, IT
This beautiful Italian 18th Century old masters oil painting on oval canvas with giltwood frame is attributed to Solimena and features a religious scene. In this splendid oval-shaped painting are depicted Saint Dominic...
Canvas, Oil
$2,100Sale Price|71% Off
H 36 in W 48 in D 0.875 in
"Dancer's Dream" Large Original Oil Painting by Robert White, Frameless Display
Located in Encino, CA
“Dancer's Dream,” an original oil on canvas by Robert K. White, is a piece for the true collector. White’s careful attention to detail and vivid use of greens, browns, and whites project from the painting, immediately capturing the viewer's attention and highlighting the artist's keen ability to capture emotion and life - all in a brushstroke. White's talent for depicting light and shadow provides the foundation for him to deliver subjects and scenes to the viewer's eye. This masterful work would make a great addition to an art collection and enhance most any home, perfect for those who have an affinity for dancers, the ballet, portraits, and color-rich works of art. In the artist’s own words, “I don’t paint what is inside of me; I paint what I see outside of me. I’m an observer. If I see something and I feel an affinity for it, something just clicks in my head. I’ll make the decision right then and there to paint that particular subject during that particular moment. It’s a perfect moment. Once something has caught my eye and I’ve heard the “perfect” click, it’s like a photograph has been taken in my mind’s eye. I only have a few days of clarity with that image. I have to start the painting quickly or else it will be gone and I will lose that image forever.” Artist: ROBERT KENNETH WHITE...
Oil, Canvas
$717
H 10.63 in W 7.68 in D 0.04 in
Figurative Ink Painting N.2 'Vessels II' by Dmitry Samygin
By Dmitry Samygin
Located in Paris, FR
Figurative Ink on Cotton paper Painting N.1 'Vessels II' by Dmitry Samygin H.27 x 19.5 cm About Dmitry Samygin Furniture and Product Designer. His approach relies on simple forms and clarity in ideas with carefully chosen materials to expose the essence of an object. His products exemplify humanistic design, comfort in everyday use and ergonomic function. He is a prize-winner in international competitions. He has taken part in exhibitions in Paris, Milan and Moscow, collaborates with European and Russian production, architectural and design companies. Since 2021 Dmitriy's design has been presented in a permanent exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Moscow. Dmitry's graphics and designs are in private collections all over the world. Samygin's Awards 2023 I+D / Design Now / winner (product design & decor) 2021 Red dot / Modul 2021 I+D magazine award / Shelter (covers for the sculptures of Moscow State Architectural Museum) 2020 Best 2020 AD Russia 2019 Andrew World...
Cotton, Paper, Ink
$7,174
H 48.82 in W 34.65 in D 3.55 in
Paul Anton Kaulbach (1864 Hanover - 1930 Berlin) Male Nude
Located in Greding, DE
Depiction of a male nude in diffuse architectural scenery. Signed lower right (Paul) Anton Kaulbach (1864 Hannover - 1930 Berlin). Oil on canvas, in gold-patinated frame. Image size:...
Oil, Canvas
$41,851
H 27.56 in W 35.44 in D 1.97 in
View on the Governor’s Palace in Paramaribo, Surinam
Located in Amsterdam, NL
GOVERT VAN EMMERIK (1808-1882) View on the Governor’s Palace in Paramaribo, Surinam Signed and dated 1856 Oil on canvas, 70 x 90 cm In large gilt...
Canvas, Oil
$1,020
H 21 in W 17.13 in D 1.25 in
Peter Robert Keil Gold Framed Painting on Canvas Signed and Dated with COA
By Peter Robert Keil
Located in Hudson, NY
Peter Keil's textured painting on canvas. Signed and dated 1997. This one is stunning in person. Background paint is textured on the canvas. Amazing gilt frame with a textured fabric...
Gold Leaf
Three Figures
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Provenance: Cernuda Art, Coral Gables Private Collection, Los Angeles
Canvas, Oil
$41,851
H 145.67 in W 165.36 in D 1.97 in
Monumental Cubist Charcoal Drawing Paper on Canvas Signed By Lajos Kantor
Located in Rome, IT
Outstanding Monumental Artwork Consists of 8 mounted Cubist charcoal drawings mounted on blind canvas frames. Drawing for the Panon University Hall Mosaic Project executed in 1965, City of Veszprem, Hungary. size : 420 x 370 cm cca Lajos Kántor painter, graphic artist 1922 - 2013 Lajos Kántor was a student of the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts between 1949 and 1954, where Gyula Hincz, Endre Domanovszky, Bernáth Aurél, and Jenő Barcsay...
Canvas
$53,808Sale Price|25% Off
H 44.1 in W 33.86 in
Boeckhorst, Rubens, Saint Ursula, Decorative Old Master, Woman, Baroque, Flemish
By Jan Boeckhorst
Located in Greven, DE
Johann Boeckhorst (Münster 1604 - Antwerp 1668) Saint Ursula Oil on canvas, 112 x 86 cm Provenance: New York, Christe's, 20.3.1981, lot 88 (as Van Diepenbeeck's circle) The presen...
Canvas, Oil
$41,851
H 145.67 in W 165.36 in D 1.97 in
Monumental Cubist Charcoal Drawing Paper on Canvas Signed By Lajos Kantor
Located in Rome, IT
Outstanding Monumental Artwork Consists of 8 mounted Cubist charcoal drawings mounted on blind canvas frames. Drawing for the Panon Universi...
Canvas
$27,609
H 39.38 in W 51.19 in D 2.37 in
Swimmers I, Maria Filopoulou, Greek, Water, Natural World, Expansive, Lagoon
Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh
Water & Light are two main components that make the Greek landscape unique and irresistible. Greek painter Maria Filopoulou takes up these two clichés unashamedly and transforms thei...
Oil, Canvas
Campbell's Chicken Rice Soup Box
By Andy Warhol
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Andy Warhol Campbell's Chicken Rice Soup Box, 1986 Acrylic and Silkscreen on Canvas 14 x 14 inches 35.6 x 35.6 cm
Acrylic Polymer, Screen, Canvas