|
By Timothy Hagy
Pierre Cardin in Retrospect
"I used to be the youngest couturier in town," said a beaming Pierre Cardin after his retrospective show on Tuesday evening. "But now I've become the oldest!" At age 82, he cuts a striking portrait, dressed impeccably in a double-breasted navy blue blazer, a silk handkerchief flowing from the pocket. And perhaps, Cardin, more than any of his contemporaries, set the standard for non-conformity in an age of social and political unrest.
The French like to think in a square box, trained from a young age to follow a very structured and controlled approach to everything - witness, for example, the oppressive labor laws which have made it increasingly difficult for companies to compete in a global economy. And so it's not surprising that Cardin, who thought in terms of the cosmos, circular geometrical designs, satellites and computers 40 odd years ago, had an unpleasant brush with the fashion authorities. "The Chambre Syndicale (de la Haute Couture) threw me out in the 60s for being too weird," he reflected. "But then came back and asked me to be the President."
Fortunately, others recognized his talent. "It was Christian Dior," added Cardin, "that loaned me the money to open my first atelier." And it was Pierre Cardin, who saw the talent of another budding designer, Jean Paul Gaultier, hiring him as his assistant. Gaultier credits that event with changing his entire prospective, giving him the boost that launched his own career.
|
Cardin's long retrospective show was staged in the auditorium Au Printemps, a space that resembles the inside of a rocket. It was at this legendary department store that Cardin launched the first ever Ready-to-Wear line in 1964. Sensing that the age of haute couture was beginning to slip, his vision has become today's reality. In making that break, the designer also made himself a millionaire several times over, and so in his old age, he can afford to sit back and laugh as Pierre Bergé accuses the current Federation President, Didier Grumbach, of having run the YSL Rive Gauche label into the ground.
As for the pieces on the catwalk, there was a certain nostalgic charm to seeing men in glazed plastic trenches and velvety body suits, or women with mini-dresses spiraling in geometric designs. Even the experimental aluminum vests, the Star Wars helmets, and the collection of neon orange, electric blue, and passion purple daywear brought back the Age of Aquarius. Evening gowns glistened in sprays of crystal, and the wedding dress of scalloped tufts of gossamer chiffon rounded off the 40-minute presentation.
Guests filtered down to a champagne reception, and mingled with the Cardin and his staff. One young model, an Argentinean just arrived in Paris from Buenos Aires, said, "I don't think I've ever done that many changes in one show before."
|
|
|
|
