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The King Of Paris'S Crowned Crown? Subjects Of Advanced Customization

2010/7/23 14:11:00 60

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Why not look for inspiration from old days? After all, senior.

Customized

The golden age has gone, and the best and most noble memories remain in the past.

Although today's advanced custom clothes are much more expensive than half a century ago, there will be huge luxury items such as golden lion at today's press conference. But people still can't help recalling the shadows that gradually fade away, shy and inarticulate designers, low income models, smiling senior salesmen, and carefully observing their ladies and gentlemen in the dressing room.

"This is an extremely interesting era.

It is just after the Second World War, before the great turn of fashion in 1960s.

Claire Wilcox, senior curator of V&A Museum in London, commented on the golden age of advanced uniform, 1950s.

From then until 1960s, Paris's custom fashion houses opened to the public every afternoon, displaying their seasonal series.

Mr. Christine Dior is friendly and sporadic with lilies.

His beautiful clothes were specially designed for Paris women.

Relatively speaking, Pierre Balmain seems to be steady and home-based. Of course, you can't ignore celebrity Alice B. Toklas's popularity for him.

Two times a year, celebrities come from Europe and the continent of America and join the salons of the major fashion houses in Paris.

Compared with today, the number of customers who are ordered to be uniform is much higher. Of course, the price of advanced custom clothes is lower than that of today.

Columnist Mary Blume, a journalist who worked for the Paris Herald Tribune with a salary of $60 a week, bought many clothes in Balenciaga fashion house.

Of course, they are not the most expensive styles, but they can conceal her "small stomach and quivering knees" in her interview.

However, wear advanced.

Customized

Money is not enough.

In order to get the designer's attention, women must be strict with themselves. Slouch posture and clumsy manners are not allowed. If they don't wear hats and gloves, it's an insult to the designers.

The concept of advanced garments has not yet developed. Women know their bodies better than they do today because they can not generalize with a simple number or letter.

"For decades, I have never been accustomed to wearing unfit clothes!" Christian Dior's model Svetlana Lloyd still complains to this day.

She is an old woman with an old charm, and her hairstyle is still as smooth as before.

Because she worked for Mr. Dior, and people still respect her.

But no one will take her complaints seriously anymore.

Even NanKempner has passed away. Now, who can choose the clothes without the help of stylist? In the final analysis, the golden age of senior uniform has long gone.

Of course, like Dior's first series, memories are always beautiful.

Who was the best master of uniform in 1950s?

Coat hanger

Son? Christian Dior, the Dior model in Svetlana Lloyd's memory, and herself who works only two hours a day.

The most famous photos of Svetlana Lloyd were taken in the summer of 1957 in Paris.

That year, she was 20 or 21 years old. A group of photographers from Vogue and Tatler surround her and eight other models dressed in Christian Dior clothes.

That is also the last series designed by Mr. Dior.

A few months later, he died of heart disease at the age of 50.

The tragic tragedy has a special significance for this group of photos.

Today, Lloyd sits in her spotless apartment in Kensington, London, pointing to every face in the picture, wondering if they are still alive or not.

"Victoire in white dress, she's still alive.

She is a Brigitte Bardot model with a hips and hips.

And she is very short, as short as I am, only 5.5 feet (about 167CM).

"Pink is Simone, and she is still alive, with a child."

"The black evening dress is Lucky, and she seems to have passed away.

She has many lovers.

"We wear evening gowns in the evening and cocktail gloves for the day," she pointed out, pointing to the glove on the photo. The length is only 3/4 of the former.

Mr. Dior has never done Wrist Gloves. "

Up to now, she still has a hairstyle that looks exactly the same as it was half a century ago.

Christian Dior was born in the golden age of advanced customization.

According to him, his corolla series is just for the small part of women who are good at communicating to show their advantages.

He is a man of ordinary appearance and sharp voice. He is very introverted.

"Mr. Dior doesn't like to touch models. He uses a stick instead of his fingers."

Svetlana recalls, "he likes to eat chocolate, and although he is overweight and still suffering from diabetes, he always hides chocolate in his drawer.

He likes to use pure wool to insist on ironing and cutting himself, but he never moves needles.

"He was the first designer to design a sleeveless jacket, and he never smoothed his hem.

He thought it rude to do that, and he would rather fold it gently.

Of course, there will be a lot of support underneath it. "

She laughed.

"Every garment has a bra, so you only need to wear your belt and socks, and then put on your clothes, and you get the body that Mr. Dior wants."

In another photo, Lloyd shows the costumes in salon and sits in the first row with movie star Sophia Rolland.

She never talked to a star who came to Dior's fitting.

"But we tried to show Marlene Dietrich and Olivia de Havilland."

She said.

Lloyd's parents fled Russia during the October revolution and settled in Egypt.

His father became a court painter of the French king, and his mother worked as a needleworker.

Born in Egypt, she was sent to a boarding school in Tunbridge Wells, England, at the age of 14 to learn ballet.

After she left school, she was a ballet dancer, but one day she accidentally broke her knee while skating. It might be a relief for her to panic.

"After unemployment, I think I should go to Paris for a few days."

She said.

In this way, she passed Dior's fashion house.

"I speak French, I ask him directly, can I get a job in the store?

Before I could speak, I was taken away by a lady, tried on a suit, and then sent to Mr. Dior's studio.

He said, "uh huh, it's not bad, is it?" the woman said, "Wow! You are a seedling. You will do your hair tomorrow morning and come here again at 2:30 in the afternoon."

I asked, what to do? She said, "of course I am a fashion model!" I asked, "what do I do?" she said, "walk around."

Only later did Lloyd know that Mr. Dior appreciates her pretty back.

"The models of that era are quite different from what they are now."

"In Paris, our line is called a mannequin," she said.

We can only work for a designer.

In Dior, there are 15 of us altogether.

We go in from the back door every day, like a factory girl, and then get out of the underwear, wear white clothes and start work. "

For two weeks a year, designers are presenting a new season's custom series to fashion editors, buyers and the Duke of Windsor, each at 10 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon.

There was a "newspaper officer" on the scene. She first reported the names of each suit, and then the body model was wearing the suit across the room.

There was no cat step at the time.

"Take a very serious step."

Lloyd says and demonstrates.

After the show, all the clothes this season are open to customers.

Transactions often take place between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

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Each dress will be adjusted to the best fit according to the size of the girl in the designated dress. This work will take six weeks to complete.

"We wear our tight underwear.

The tailor will come over and say, "Svetlana, let's take your measurements today."

Our waist is very thin, about 20 to 21 inches (about 50.8cm-53.3cm).

But I remember Mr. Dior often said to the tailor, "keep your waist tight!" after finishing this, we sat and chatted on the same side.

So you see, except for the show, we work only two hours a day in the rest of the year. "

Are models treated like superstars? "Of course not."

Lloyd said, "but Mr. Dior is the best for his models.

He thought it would be enough to work two hours a day.

At 5, if a customer says, "Oh, can I look at those clothes again?" Mr. Dior will give 15 additional models to play.

Each special customer has a model dummy in the studio, and the white cloth template will be tried on the dummy.

Of course, two times a year, VIP still needs six weeks' free time to come to the final adjustment of clothing in person.

Only those rich men who eat nothing all day are so free.

So at that time, Dior would also sell models. After mass production, American department stores at NeimanMarcus, Macy, 1, s and Saks were selling at a cheaper price - they were called "quasi uniform".

Can a model keep its garments? "We can keep a piece of clothing every quarter, but that's not completely new."

For half a year, it wears ten minutes a day. "

"Mr. Dior knows that customers will have all kinds of stature and all kinds of sizes.

We are all thin, but we do not need to be very tall or very young.

He always keeps one or two middle-aged and elderly models.

A woman named Olga is very old. She is about 50 years old and her hair is grey.

Mr. Dior objected to women dyeing their hair. "

She said.

In those days, the wages of models were called "pocket money".

In fact, only Dior models in Paris can get paid regularly. Most models get meager income only when they sell each garment.

Lloyd said: "not every model can earn enough money to support itself. Dior will not consider this problem for you.

Everyone thinks you either live with your parents or have a husband.

Some models are married.

I think I may be the only girl who is helpless. "

In order to increase her income, she also did some photography work in fashion magazines.

At ordinary times, she lives in a hotel next to Champs Elysees street, and life is not as enchanting as she imagined.

In Paris at that time, the reputation of the model was not good enough, almost the same as that of a prostitute.

Model agency was illegal at that time, so after saving enough money, Lloyd returned to the British home.

In Britain, this occupation is relatively high.

Her last exhibition in Paris was the first series of Trapeze Dior designed by YvesSaint Laurent in 1958.

"I only participated in his first two series," she said. "He is incredibly introverted.

The second series did not get a good response, and he almost collapsed.

Today's Lloyd already has great grandchildren.

She still travels around the world to give speeches, recalling the story of working with Christian Dior.

"For decades, I have never been accustomed to wearing unfit clothes!" she said. "I still remember the feeling of wearing a corset. When the steel cord was pulled from the chest to the crotch, you wouldn't want to sit down or put your hands up to a higher position than a cup of champagne.

Don't expect to feel comfortable.

I kept my bra until a few years ago, I sold them at Christie's auction house, and two sold for 300 pounds in all, one of which has not been washed since 1956. "

Who was the crowned king of Paris in 1960s? Who was his most helpful assistant? The 31 year of Florette Chelot, the chief saleswoman of Crist BAL Balenciaga, and the mysterious Balenciaga in the 10 years of George V Avenue.

Mr. Dior called Balenciaga a master, and even Coco Chanel, known as "hard to deal with", thought so.

Indeed, Balenciaga's personality charm is the top.

Unlike the amiable Dior, he hardly ever meets clients and media.

The Eugenia Sheppard of the Herald Tribune once disrespectfully described him as "the senior dresses", and the designer who was angered by this sentence directly shut her out.

However, even if Sheppard was so rude, a Balenciaga employee convinced her that it was Florette, the chief saleswoman of No. 10 George Avenue.

In Sheppard mouth, she is called "the smiling person".

Years later, columnist Mary Blume recalled her first visit to a Balenciaga store with her friends: "a salesperson from Russia, sitting in front of the door, said nothing but made a gesture of Mary.

We walked in the middle of the two row of shop assistants, and were unfriendly. Finally, we saw the third row of the chief salesgirl Florette on the left - she smiled.

In this smile, you can feel all the warmth and confidence in the world.

"Mr. Balenciaga has criticized my smile, but that's nature."

Florette said, "he knows he should believe me."

In the long 31 years of design career, Balenciaga has always believed in her.

She not only brings confidence to shy, mysterious boss, but also brings the same feeling to customers.

We must convince the customers that their choice is correct - that is the work of a salesgirl.

Strictly speaking, a salesperson is a salesperson, but when Florette speaks, he always uses "dress up" instead of "sales".

The salesgirl uses sharp eyes to lead the customers to the right choice, providing useful advice for every fitting, even for those who are accustomed to indulge.

She knows who wants to buy clothes for any dance, and knows whose mistress's new clothes make his wife look jealous. She is an important but unknown link between designer, customer and workshop.

In addition, she must be responsible for any unpleasant accidents. "If Mr. Balenciaga happened to bump into him in the street, he would not kill me," he said.

She said.

The tough employer even furious at sneaking out to buy sandwiches for his employees: "no hat! No gloves! What should you do if you are seen by the customer?" despite the tricks, Florette's work is still long and hard: finishing, fitting, accompanying guests to eat, and keeping accounts.

She also paid three assistants on her own.

She sold 37 sets of costumes to American celebrities Barbara Hutton in a day.

According to Balenciaga's financial recollection, one time her sales accounted for half of the whole store.

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For many years, she began to wear her black Balenciaga clothes for life. (female salesmen can choose one from each series so that the tailor can make a new order for herself, but the money must be paid.

Stick a strong brown bun, endure pain and stick to Mancini high heels.

After work, she would rush back to her apartment and seize the chance to have dinner quietly with her husband, Pierre Chelot.

She once said that thanks to Pierre education, she broke away from ignorance and poverty when she first arrived in Paris.

Before working for Balenciaga, she spent most of her time in the shop of her mother-in-law's tailor shop. The shop just closed and left her an address book full of customers' names.

Mr. Balenciaga moved from Spain to Paris in 1937, and the first employer was Florette.

The interview was conducted in an empty studio, except for a small stool designed by the designer.

He immediately hired her, no wages, only 10% of the sales commission.

After the first series of sales, he found that she got a huge sum of money, so he cut the royalty in half.

It is possible to make good friends with Balenciaga in the early years.

Florette's husband, Pierre, speaks fluent Spanish. The couple often eat with him at the Ramponneau restaurant, and learn the secret to brew perfect Martini vermouth.

However, despite the close relationship with designers, like other employees in the store, she was also at a loss as to the decision of Balenciaga to close the fashion house in 1968.

All she knew was that a mad customer called from New York and hung up the phone. Balenciaga made a decisive decision.

On the day of closing, he did not say good-bye, paying the old employee Florette the damage payment was enough to paint her three bedroom apartment.

Who was the woman who really wore the senior uniform in 1970s? Who was her most valued designer? The aristocratic era ended by Nan Kempner of New York, and her top friend, YvesSaint Laurent.

In Nan Kempner, located in the mansion of New York Park Avenue, she merged several bedrooms into wardrobes, all of which were arranged in neat colors and styles.

Kempner never seems to worry about the lack of perfection.

Like many noble women, she knew exactly how to deal with the defects of her body -- her small breasts, her flat buttocks, and her long legs as if she had grown from the sternum.

"So what?" she often said.

In 2005, Kempner died.

In 2006, the Metropolitan Museum of New York presented the public's personal wardrobe to the public, including 362 knitted sweaters, 354 jackets, and a full hat. Of course, there were about 3000 custom-made costumes and accessories from Yves SaintLaurent, Valentino, Balmain and JeanPaul Gaultier.

In the eyes of the world, the New York social celebrities regarded their bodies as clothes hangers.

As a banker Thomas Kempner's wife, she is naturally very rich. Buying a $20 thousand senior tailored dress is not luxury for her.

However, if you think money is raising her taste, then you are wrong.

It's a matter of what women have to dress up.

Faced with numerous choices, she is stubborn and smart.

Look at that row of Yves Saint Laurent trouser suit, think Kempner and the designer's extraordinary friendship - they show the best part of her body.

From 1970s to 1980s, Saint Laurent's suit was based on her measurements.

Sharp shoulders, chest wrinkles, natural pants waist - this classic version comes from the designer's precise sense of proportion, thanks to his favorite American customer, her long legged, 66cm waist, boy like shoulders.

Harold Koda, the curator of the New York Metropolitan Museum of fashion, once commented on her saying: "she wears a high quality custom dress just like a sportswear."

In 1949, Kempner, who first entered the social circle, got his first Paris tailored suit: a Jacques Griffe skirt wrapped in pink cotton lace and smoke purple veil.

She seems to have known for a long time that advanced custom clothes are not used to prove things from blood.

This is the power of advanced uniform by using subtle elements such as strange collocation and exaggerated details.

She owns a Pierre Cardin black evening dress in 1964, decorated with layers of silk and pparent hard yarn. She is very familiar with feathers and embroidery to foil her appearance.

Another YvesSaint Laurent design of the saffron Satin long cloak in 1983, with a high queen collar, is also very exciting.

No matter what day and night, she sticks to a certain length and straight line, especially the contour of masculinity.

She could not see too many rounded skirts in her wardrobe, nor how many Chanel.

For her, Chanel is too sweet.

Among the more than 100 costumes donated by Nan Kempner's husband to the Metropolitan Museum, 5 of the works of Madame Grs account for 5, the most notable of which is a light black spider back pattern evening dress and a valuable olive green Angola rabbit sweater sweater.

If the hundreds of sweaters and coats reflect her stubborn and conservative side, Yve Saint Laurent and Madame Grs represent the other side of her boldness and humor.

As a good friend of her life, a ski pants specially designed by Koda for Madame Grs: "the style is like leather leggings."

Kempner belongs to the era before the birth of the stylist. No one can interfere with her way of dressing, nor can anyone give any golden rule.

Her behavior is often comic, and at the same time, she has an unusually strict attitude towards her clothes.

On the second day after the 2001 Yves Saint Laurent autumn and winter advanced custom dress conference, guests can first dress up in the fashion room according to the usual practice.

Nan Kempner, Deeda Blair and PatriciaAltschul gathered together, and a few clerks looked after them.

There are several cigarette butts that are not yet extinguished in the ashtray. The scene is very quiet. There is no giggle in the pile of women. There is no such compliment as "dear, this looks so beautiful!"

Kempner dressed in tight fitting underwear. He was observing the velvet skirt on his body.

Her eyes are so sharp that she always knows what clothes she likes and likes them wholeheartedly.