Dress & Petticoat - Pierre Balmain
Pierre Balmain, like Dior, worked for Lucien Lelong before opening his couture house in 1945. By 1956 he had 600 employees and 12 couture workrooms. This 'jeune fille' summer dress has a boned petticoat, showing the care given even to the under-garments. Ginette Spanier, Balmain’s directrice, remarked, 'If a seam is not quite right, that is a matter of life and death.' Dress and petticoat
Pierre Balmain (1914-82)
Paris
About 1950
Dress: silk grosgrain with machine-made Swiss embroidery
Petticoat: boned silk net and silk
Given by Mrs G. Sachet
Museum no. T.349&A-1975
