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
Untitled Micro-Gestalt H4
By Airom
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Acrylic and ink on canvas
Canvas, Ink, Acrylic
Sailing Along
By Kristina Nemethy
Located in New York, NY
A stunning depiction of a boat sailing along. Nemethy uses a bold impressionistic technique with thick use of paint and wonderful impressions. With unique colors, we can feel the moo...
Canvas, Oil, Board
$4,488
H 36.23 in W 28.35 in
Prunus and Lemon-coloured by Christophe Dupety - Floral painting, yellow, pink
By Christophe Dupety
Located in Paris, FR
Prunus and Lemon-coloured is a unique oil on canvas painting by contemporary artist Christophe Dupety, dimensions are 92 × 72 cm (36.2 × 28.4 in). The artwork is signed, sold unframe...
Canvas, Oil
$5,829Sale Price|28% Off
H 28.55 in W 24.61 in
Circle of G.B. Piazzetta - 18th century Venetian Six Apostles paintings
Located in Varmo, IT
Circle of Giambattista Piazzetta (Venice 1683 - Venice 1754) - Six Half-Length Apostles. 62.5 x 52.5 cm (unframed) - 72.5 x 62.5 cm (framed). Group of six oils on canvas, in contem...
Canvas, Oil
$900
H 15 in W 24 in
Palm Springs City Hall - Original Blue Landscape California Desert Artwork
By Kathleen Keifer
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Kathleen Keifer's original artworks represent one of the most significant expressions of New California Realism. Keifer brings a fresh perspective to her colorful scenes of everyday ...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,950
H 15 in W 13 in
Mid-Century Impressionist French view of Montmartre, Paris, France
Located in Woodbury, CT
Y. Gonez (French, mid-20th century) Market Scene, Montmartre with Sacré-Cœur, ca. 1950s Oil on canvas, in a Montparnasse-style frame In this lively street scene, Y. Gonez captures t...
Canvas, Oil
Texas Summer Nights
Located in Bozeman, MT
Kirstyn Wright is a wildlife and Western artist focusing on Texas and Southwestern imagery. She grew up an hour northwest of Fort Worth in the ranching and rodeo community of Wise Co...
Canvas, Oil
$2,800
H 14 in W 20 in D 0.75 in
Rock Me Baby Oil 14 x 20 Framed Water Movement Figurative Portraiture
Located in Houston, TX
LOOK FOR FREE SHIPPING AT CHECKOUT Rock Me is a 14 x 20 figurative oil painting by E. Melinda Morrison. It was painted in 2019. Rock Me shows the movement of the water rocking the ...
Canvas, Oil, Egg Tempera, Panel
$1,551
H 7.09 in W 7.88 in D 0.79 in
Feminine & Masculine XV - Modern Figurative Oil Painting, Beach View, Realism
By Julita Malinowska
Located in Salzburg, AT
Artodyssey "Julita Malinowska's paintings belong to those, which once seen - are never forgotten. The open spaces, sometimes cool and bright, at other times heavily saturated with co...
Canvas, Oil
A Soldier's Dream
By Otis Huband
Located in Dallas, TX
Valley House Gallery presented our first exhibition for Houston artist Otis Huband in the summer of 2014. After a hiatus of over 20 years from regular exhibitions, his work was re-in...
Canvas, Oil
$4,000
H 48 in W 48 in
Purple Rain Prince - Original Painting - 3D Textural Pop Art Portrait Artwork
By Virginie Schroeder
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Playing with the interaction between positive and negative space, strong colors on neutral backgrounds, Canadian artist Virginie Schroeder creates pop art portraits and iconic pop cu...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$1,125
H 18 in W 24 in
"Field of Memories" by Christopher Clark, Original Painting, Sunlit Landscape
By Christopher Clark
Located in Denver, CO
Christopher Clark's "Field of Memories" is an original, hand made oil painting that depicts a landscape of two trees backlit by a brilliant sun shining on a poppy field. Christophe...
Oil, Canvas