Pierre Cardin

by Elisabeth Langle

This is the first authorized monograph on Pierre Cardin (b. 1922). Visionary fashion designer and licensing pioneer, Cardin began his career apprenticed to Elsa Schiaparelli and Christian Dior. He quickly launched his own haute couture line, in 1954, followed rapidly by the first women's and men's prêt-à-porter (ready-to-wear) collections from a couture designer. Since the 1960s, Cardin's cutting-edge, futuristic designs have continually broken new ground and established exciting new trends. And he invented the business of fashion as we know it today, with international brand licensing across a variety of products and media. Pierre Cardin himself made his ambition "I wanted my name to become a brand and not just a label."

Cardin brought high fashion to the street; he invented the bubble dress and launched the use of cartridge pleating, bright clear colors, as well as vinyl, plastics, metal rings, and oversize buttons. Pierre Cardin has also designed accessories, furniture, and cosmetics. There are now more than 900 licenses in over 140 countries, employing more than 200,000 people under the Pierre Cardin trademark.

208 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[WORN Fashion Journal]

Covering the '50s through the '90s, Längle outlines the social and historical contexts of this French designer's work, from his famous "bubble dress," to The Beatles' collarless suits. She also reminds us of the industry's dept to Cardin, who, as the first couturier to create a ready-to-wear line, was criticized by the fashion elite and even once expelled from the Chambre Syndicale, the regulating commission of haute couture in Paris. The book is fact-filled, comprehensive, and covers almost every step in Cardin's career. But it lacks analysis and personality. It's only through quotes from Cardin himself, which are littered throughout the book in sidebars and photo captions, that the reader gleans any real insight into the designer's motivations and character. When Pierre Cardin succeeds, it is largely because of its emphasis on photography. Perhaps the text is sparse because Längle understands the large, full-colour photos of Cardin's bold creations can stand alone, serving as a powerful visual timeline of the designer's impressive career. (Reviewed by Jaclyn Irvine)