1.3: A New French Style, Part 1: The Miracle

<p>Pierre Balmain’s life changed radically on October 12th, 1945. That was the date that the young designer chose to schedule his house’s first couture presentation to the public, held inside the salon of his new headquarters at 44, rue de François Premier, in the center of Paris’ famed “Golden Triangle” luxury neighborhood.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>With the help of the award-winning fashion journalist Lynn Yaeger, this episode places the beginnings of the house in context, examining the hardships, challenges and shortages of a newly liberated Paris and focusing on what Pierre Balmain was later to sum up as his “miracle”—the startling triumph of that first couture collection, which the young designer managed to somehow pull-off, in spite of the daunting odds that were stacked against him.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>This is the first of four l’Atelier Balmain episodes exploring the house’s first collection. Underlining how that first Balmain show introduced what Alice B Toklas defined as a “New French Style,” the four podcasts focus on Pierre Balmain's astounding success in overcoming the extremely difficult conditions, while also placing the spotlight on some of the many fashion and cultural icons who were part of the house’s earliest days and helped guarantee the success of the Paris fashion world’s first post-war star, Pierre Balmain.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>At each step, we’ll also make clear how Olivier Rousteing continues to build upon the firm foundations that Pierre Balmain established, 75 years ago.</p><br><p><strong>CREDITS L’ATELIER BALMAIN EPISODE THREE</strong></p><p><strong>A NEW FRENCH STYLE, PART 1: THE MIRACLE</strong></p><br><p><strong>Balmain Creative Director :</strong> Olivier Rousteing </p><p><strong>Special Podcast Guest:</strong> Lynn Yaeger</p><p><strong>Music :</strong> "Fleur de Paris" by Maurice Chevalier </p><p><strong>Additional music :</strong> Jean-Michel Derain</p><p><strong>Episode Directed and Produced by :</strong> Seb Lascoux</p><p><strong>Balmain Historian :</strong> Julia Guillon</p><p><strong>