In 1962, Saint Laurent opened his own fashion house, emerging as one of the youngest and most influential French couturiers. Saint Laurent took over the House of Dior after the designer’s death, and introduced many famous looks including the chic beatnik style. When Saint Laurent was only 17, Dior, after seeing some of Saint Laurent’s sketches, hired him as his assistant and protégé. īorn in Oran, Yves Saint Laurent left for Paris to pursue a career in fashion and attended design school for a short period. Balmain’s autobiography “My Years and Seasons” is unfortunately out of print, but you can buy a copy here.You’ll find the episode and conference “Comment j’habille mes rêves” (How I Dress My Dreams) here. Practice your French: Listen to a 25-minute-long France Culture episode about a 1954 fashion conference Balmain gave.Check out images of some of his most celebrated dresses and clients here. He also dressed the Duchess of Windsor, the Queen of Belgium, and even famous modernist author Gertrude Stein! In episode 4 of “L’Atelier Balmain Podcast” you can learn about his friendship with Stein and her famous partner Alice B. He designed clothes for stars Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot and Sophia Loren. In 1945, Pierre Balmain founded a legendary fashion house that made his name synonymous with elegance. Watch a 1948 video of Dior describing the architecture of his dresses here.Practice your French: Watch an excellent ARTE documentary called “Les dessins de Christian Dior” here.In 1957, his assistant Yves Saint Laurent (see below!) took over the House of Dior. Dior went on to create many famous silhouettes (the A-line, the H-line, the Y-line…) and he revolutionized the world of French fashion throughout the 1950s until his death. Financed by French entrepreneur Marcel Boussac, Dior created the New Look in 1947, which became a worldwide sensation. ) In 1938, he became an assistant designer for Robert Piguet, Paris’s leading couturier.
Want to start off with a little French practice right now? Read “ Les 11 plus beaux hommages de la mode à la culture queer ” (Fashion’s 11 most beautiful tributes to queer culture”) here ! By Sophia MillmanĪlthough he had trained for the French foreign service, Dior began working for the Figaro Illustré in the 1930s. Finally, you’ll have lots of opportunities to brush up on your language skills with our “Practice your French” tips that allow you to delve deeper into the lives of these revolutionary designers. You’ll learn about the inspirational careers and most iconic designs of classic couturiers like Pierre Balmain, and also discover newer couturiers like Simon Porte Jacquemus and Olivier Rousteing, who are currently reinventing French culture. To continue celebrating Pride Month, we’ve put together a list of the most famous gay couturiers. While it’s true that haute couture in France traces its origins to two heterosexual designers ( Charles Frederick Worth and Paul Poiret ), since around WWII, gay designers have dominated the industry.
As this French Slate article explains, gay men have excelled in the art of dressmaking since the early 20th century. In fact, you’d probably be hard-pressed to name a French fashion designer who isn’t gay (apart from Coco Chanel!). With all this in mind, Porter is a pioneer of red-carpet dressing, a bona fide artist who always brings the unexpected.Īhead, we track the star's most memorable fashion moments.When you think of French fashion designers, whose name springs to mind first? Christian Dior? Yves Saint Laurent? Most of France’s most celebrated couturiers are gay men.
Though he piles on the camp and the theatrics, he also brings a touch of elegance to his appearances: The jackets always fit just right, the skirts are always the perfect length, and the accessories never detract from the overall outfit-unless it's by design. Indeed, he's proved that men, too, can put on a show. He has sashayed in front of photographers flaunting gender-fluid ensembles-from voluminous ball gowns and feathered headpieces to embroidered capes and colorful suits that are unlike any other-bucking traditional tuxedos and three-piece suits. Since being catapulted into the limelight with his Emmy Award–winning role in Pose, the actor-slash-singer has turned heads at every event he's attended, effectively changing the rules of propriety.
Billy Porter doesn't merely walk a red carpet he stages a performance.