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
$685
H 10.63 in W 7.68 in D 0.04 in
Figurative Ink Painting N.2 'Vessels II' by Dmitry Samygin
By Dmitry Samygin
Located in Paris, FR
Figurative Ink on Cotton paper Painting N.1 'Vessels II' by Dmitry Samygin H.27 x 19.5 cm About Dmitry Samygin Furniture and Product Designer. His approach relies on simple forms and clarity in ideas with carefully chosen materials to expose the essence of an object. His products exemplify humanistic design, comfort in everyday use and ergonomic function. He is a prize-winner in international competitions. He has taken part in exhibitions in Paris, Milan and Moscow, collaborates with European and Russian production, architectural and design companies. Since 2021 Dmitriy's design has been presented in a permanent exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Moscow. Dmitry's graphics and designs are in private collections all over the world. Samygin's Awards 2023 I+D / Design Now / winner (product design & decor) 2021 Red dot / Modul 2021 I+D magazine award / Shelter (covers for the sculptures of Moscow State Architectural Museum) 2020 Best 2020 AD Russia 2019 Andrew World...
Cotton, Paper, Ink
$20,592Sale Price|20% Off
H 43.5 in W 68.5 in D 2 in
Old Glory, 2026 — John Stango, Mixed Media on Canvas
By John Stango
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Old Glory (2026) by John Stango. Mixed media on canvas. Artwork dimensions: 42 × 67 × 1.5 inches (106.68 × 170.18 × 3.81 cm). Framed dimensions: 43.5 × 68.5 × 2 inches. Frame included.
Canvas, Mixed Media
$2,034
H 23.63 in W 28.75 in
"White Gardens", Bold Impressionist Oil Painting of a Snowy Rural Landscape
By Yves Calméjane
Located in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
This painting is a quietly luminous depiction of a snow-covered garden in winter, rendered in oil on canvas at H 23.6 in x W 28.7 in. Bare deciduous trees dominate the foreground and...
Canvas, Oil
Medusa
By Ginger Williams Cook
Located in New Orleans, LA
Ginger Williams Cook says of her work... My previous solo exhibition, entitled Abundance of Apollo: The Celestial Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes of Greek Mythology, served as a point o...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,034
H 23.63 in W 28.75 in
"Villégiature au fil de l'eau", French River Town Oil Painting, Soft
By Yves Calméjane
Located in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
This oil on canvas, measuring H 23.6 in x W 28.7 in, captures a luminous afternoon along the Dronne river in Brantôme, a medieval town in the Périgord sometimes called the Venice of ...
Canvas, Oil
$3,712
H 25.6 in W 21.26 in D 0.79 in
“Cypress Alley” French Riviera in the Light of the South, Mixed Media Painting
By Andrée de Frémont
Located in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
To evoke the French Riviera and the light of the South, a sketch made by Andrée de Frémont on the French Riviera has become canvas. It is camping a h...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
Cassandra
By Ginger Williams Cook
Located in New Orleans, LA
Ginger Williams Cook says of her work... My previous solo exhibition, entitled Abundance of Apollo: The Celestial Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes of Greek Mythology, served as a point o...
Canvas, Acrylic
amaka Beauty
By REWA
Located in New Orleans, LA
REWA says of her work… Viewers largely label me under “Contemporary African Art”. I label my work as Igbo Vernacular Art. The reason for this is that I believe that I have created a...
Canvas, Ink, Acrylic
Serpentine
By Ginger Williams Cook
Located in New Orleans, LA
Ginger Williams Cook says of her work... My previous solo exhibition, entitled Abundance of Apollo: The Celestial Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes of Greek Mythology, served as a point o...
Paper, Cotton Canvas, Latex, Permanent Marker
ezeigbo Igbo King
By REWA
Located in New Orleans, LA
REWA says of her work… Viewers largely label me under “Contemporary African Art”. I label my work as Igbo Vernacular Art. The reason for this is that I believe that I have created a...
Canvas, Ink, Acrylic
$12,480Sale Price|20% Off
H 49.5 in W 37.5 in D 2 in
Pretty in Pink, 2026 — John Stango, Mixed Media on Canvas
By John Stango
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Pretty in Pink (2026) by John Stango. Mixed media on canvas depicting a Veuve Clicquot champagne bottle against a pink background with expressive lettering and marks. Artwork dimensi...
Canvas, Mixed Media
Tend
By Jered Sprecher
Located in New Orleans, LA
As an artist I make paintings that exist in the sliver of space between abstraction and representation. My work compresses time into the surface of painting, that old technology. Inc...
Canvas, Oil
In Color
By Jered Sprecher
Located in New Orleans, LA
As an artist I make paintings that exist in the sliver of space between abstraction and representation. My work compresses time into the surface of painting, that old technology. Inc...
Canvas, Oil
The Giant
By Jered Sprecher
Located in New Orleans, LA
As an artist I make paintings that exist in the sliver of space between abstraction and representation. My work compresses time into the surface of painting, that old technology. Inc...
Canvas, Oil
Persephone
By Ginger Williams Cook
Located in New Orleans, LA
Ginger Williams Cook says of her work... My previous solo exhibition, entitled Abundance of Apollo: The Celestial Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes of Greek Mythology, served as a point o...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Pierre Balmain Paris 122 Chantilly"
By Pierre Balmain
Located in Bristol, CT
Chic original watercolour couture fashion sketch replete w/ lace fabric swatch & note attached (LL) from the Paris atelier of Pierre Balmain c1960s Plate Sz: 12"H x 8 1/4"W Frame...
Watercolor
Sold
H 20 in W 16 in D 0.1 in
Vintage Balmain French Fashion Sketch - Couture Coat, c. 1960
By Pierre Balmain
Located in Houston, TX
Original haute couture sketch of a blue and yellow coat by Parisian designer Pierre Balmain, circa 1960, featuring fascinating design details, suc...
Paper, Ink, Gouache
Sold
H 20 in W 16 in D 0.1 in
Vintage Balmain French Fashion Sketch - Couture Tennis Dress, c. 1960
By Pierre Balmain
Located in Houston, TX
Original haute couture sketch of a tennis dress by Parisian designer Pierre Balmain, circa 1960, featuring a striking visual contrast between bold...
Paper, Ink, Gouache
Pierre Balmain Paris 433 Bangkok
By Pierre Balmain
Located in Bristol, CT
Chic original couture fashion plate by Pierre Balmain designed for the New York socialite, Nan Kempner (1930-2005) replete w/ two silk swatches circa 1970s Plate Sz: 12.25"H x 8.25"...
Gouache
Pierre Balmain Paris 122 Chantilly
By Pierre Balmain
Located in Bristol, CT
Chic original watercolour couture fashion sketch replete w/ lace fabric swatch & note attached (LL) from the Paris atelier of Pierre Balmain c1960s! Plate: 12 1/4"H x 8 1/4"W Frame: 16 3/4"H x 13"W Fashion Designer Bio: Perre Alexandre Claudius Balmain (1914-1982) was a well-known designer from France and the founder of Balmain fashion house. He was and still is known for his elegance and sophistication. Balmain studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts, but he spent most of his time designing apparel. From 1934-1939 Balmain worked with Edward Molyneux (fashion designer) who offered him a trial. Balmain then worked after the War with Lucien Lelong and established his own fashion house that displayed bell-shaped and small waist skirts. This was a look that became famous later on through the brand Christian Dior. A family friend, Gertrude Stein wrote a commemorative piece on Balmain for Vogue magazine and following this an order was placed by the Duchess of Windsor. By 1951, Balmain opened various branches of his label across America to sell his prêt-a-porter collections. During this time, he popularized some unique trends such as stoles, evening wear and he made sheath dresses with jackets a fad in the fashion market. He was talented in creating both simple and extravagant clothes, all with the similar aesthetics of graceful and slender lines. Pierre Balmain also created fragrances. For his astounding creations and designs, he was nominated for Best Costume Designer by the Tony Award and Balmain received the Drama Desk Award for designing outstanding costumes for Happy New Year Broadway production in 1980. He designed costumes for Sophia Loren for The Millionaires, 1960 and Josephine Baker for her eponymous revue, 1964. He designed costumes for sixteen films and designed clothes for actresses Mae West and Vivien Leigh. His classic couture dresses are still chic and sought after among international movie stars and socialites such as Kristin Davis...
Watercolor
Balmain Fashion Sketch
By Pierre Balmain
Located in Houston, TX
French haute couture sketch by Balmain fashion house, circa 1960. Original artwork on paper displayed on a white mat with a gold border. Mat fits...
Watercolor, Pencil
Sold
H 16 in W 0.1 in D 20 in
Vintage Balmain Fashion Sketch - Navy Dress Suit
By Pierre Balmain
Located in Houston, TX
Vintage gouache and pencil French fashion sketch of a elegant cress suit in navy blue by the famed Balmain Fashion House of Paris, circa 1960. Original artwork on paper displaye...
Gouache, Paper, Pencil
Sold
H 16 in W 0.1 in D 20 in
Vintage Balmain French Fashion Sketch - Lime Green Summer Dress
By Pierre Balmain
Located in Houston, TX
Vintage gouache and pencil French fashion sketch of a casual summer dress in a bold lime green hue by the famed Balmain Fashion House of Paris, c...
Gouache, Pencil
Vintage Balmain Mini Dresses Fashion Sketch
By Pierre Balmain
Located in Houston, TX
Excellent one-of-a-kind gouache and ink fashion sketch of several variations of a casual mini dress by the French haute couture Balmain Fashion house of Paris, circa 1960. Origina...
Gouache, Paper
Sold
H 16 in W 0.1 in D 20 in
Vintage Balmain Spots & Stripes Fashion Sketch
By Pierre Balmain
Located in Houston, TX
Charming one-of-a-kind gouache and ink fashion sketch of three variations of a sleeveless navy top by the haute couture Balmain Fashion House of Paris, circa 1960. Fabric swatch atta...
Gouache, Ink, Paper
Sold
H 16 in W 0.1 in D 20 in
Vintage Balmain Fashion Sketch - Lime Green Blazer
By Pierre Balmain
Located in Houston, TX
Vintage one-of-a-kind French watercolor and ink fashion sketch of a sporty, short sleeve blazer in lime green by the Parisian Balmain fashion house, circa 1960. Original artwork ...
Ink, Paper, Watercolor
Sold
H 12 in W 0.1 in D 16 in
Vintage Balmain Gouache Fashion Sketch - Red Dress Suit
By Pierre Balmain
Located in Houston, TX
Vintage one-of-a-kind haute couture gouache fashion sketch of a vivid red dress suit by the Parisian Balmain Fashion House, circa 1960. Original artwork on paper displayed on a wh...
Gouache, Paper
Sold
H 12 in W 0.1 in D 16 in
Vintage Balmain Fashion Sketch - Orange Print Dress
By Pierre Balmain
Located in Houston, TX
Vintage one-of-a-kind French fashion sketch of a fun flirty dress with a orange print done in ink by Balmain Fashion House of Paris, circa 1970. Origin...
Ink, Paper
Sold
H 12 in W 0.1 in D 16 in
Vintage French Fashion Sketch - V-Neck Sweater
By Pierre Balmain
Located in Houston, TX
Vintage one-of-a-kind French fashion sketch ink ink of a casual v-neck sweater with a blue polka dot print by Balmain Fashion House of Paris, cir...
Ink, Paper
Vintage Balmain Fashion Sketch - Grey Stripes
By Pierre Balmain
Located in Houston, TX
Vintage haute couture fashion sketch of a striped blouse and pencil skirt in grey by the Balmain Fashion House of Paris, circa 1960. Original one-of-a-kind artwork on paper displa...
Gouache, Paper, Pencil