Designer Pierre Cardin died at 98 years old last week, still working until the end of his life. In a tribute to the late, great Cardin, today is a repost of a blog I wrote in 2015 about the Pierre Cardin Museum in the Marais and also of the Paris premiere of the wonderful documentary House of Cardin, which I attended last September.
Pierre Cardin, one of the most prolific fashion designers of the 20th century and the first designer to mass market his name and products, is still going strong at age 92. His latest project is a fashion museum in a former factory in the Marais.
Last week at the museum I time traveled to the swinging 60s to the land of plastic mini dresses and 3D clothes, when Cardin was at his prime.
After a brief stint working for Dior in the late 1940s, Cardin struck out on his own in the 1950s, creating tasteful ensembles in line with the time period. He revolutionized fashion in the 60s and 70s with his futuristic clothes including mini-dresses with geometric shapes and bright colors and using plastic and metal on the clothes. He was also one of the first designers to simultaneously design men's clothes.
The museum features 130 mannequins on three floors spanning five decades of fashion. There is also a room with belts, shoes, hats, and other accessories. Other Cardin products are displayed throughout the museum including his line of furniture.
Next door and across the street are retails shops with the newest Cardin designs, many of them a throwback to his heyday in the 60s and 70s.
Musée Pierre Cardin,
5 rue St-Merri, 75004
Metro: Hotel de Ville
pierrecardin.com
Vincent and I were invited to the gala screening of the new documentary film, House of Cardin last Monday night by our friend Cori Coppola-photograph above- (former Parisian of the Month), who is a producer on the film.
It was a suit and tie affair, and the first time in months or maybe even since 2019, that
1. I wore a suit
2. I wore actual shoes, not sneakers or slippers
3. I wore pants since the end of June
It was at the Chatelet theater (another first, going to an indoor theater since February) and when I arrived there was a well-dressed and heeled crowd clamoring to pass the red velvet ropes.
But there was one peculiarity: the Red Carpet was now green, I guess for climate reasons, I’m not sure. A big Pierre Cardin logo imprinted on the carpet was the jumping off point beyond the ropes.
I don’t know my French celebrities as well as my American ones, but I did recognize a few and will post their names and my comments about them in the photo captions below.
After fighting through the red velvet ropes, and practically ruining my hair, I was seated in the first row of the mezzanine. I had a prime view of people entering the theater on the main floor. About 15 minutes before the screening started, there was a big ruckus and lots of applause, as Pierre Cardin was escorted to his seat.
There was a bit of a pre-show on the stage, when Matthew Gonder, who is an executive producer and the American Brand Ambassador for Pierre Cardin, spoke about Cardin’s accomplishments with great fervor to invigorate the audience, and ending by performing a rap style song about Cardin.
The lights dimmed, the film started and from beginning to end, I was enamored, entertained, educated, inspired, humored, impressed, and dazzled. Cardin not only changed the face and world of fashion forever, he was and still is devoted to the arts, and owned theaters, designed costumes, and supported artists for decades. He was also the first designer to use Asian models and models of color and was the first designer to bring his clothes and brand to Russia and China. His biggest joy is his work and at age 97 he is still working every day to complete large -scale projects such as a modern, futuristic tower in Venice.
The film has an all star cast including Jean Paul Gautier, Sharon Stone, Naomi Campbell, Kenzo, Philppe Starck, Alice Cooper, and Dionne Warwick.
I won’t give away any more details or spoilers about the House of Cardin, but if you want to immerse yourself for 95 minutes in a world of beauty, glamour, hard work, and legend, please watch the film.
House of Cardin is available on Canal + in France and in the U.S., you can rent on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=house+of+cardin&crid=2XN15ONVSZO6Z&sprefix=house+of+cardin%2Caps%2C204&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_15
SAVE THE DATE- Wednesday, January 14
I am kicking off 2021 with an exciting, free event: I am partnering with France.fr to bring you an Emily in Paris Facebook Live Tour. As many of you know, I recently filmed a 24-minute video showing off the fabulous locations of Emily in Paris and sharing some cool insider tips about them. In this event, I'll be taking you to see a few of the iconic sites featured in the show.
The date is Wednesday, January 14 @ 11am EST
CLICK HERE to reserve your place for this exciting event and I look forward to seeing you there.
Directors of the film and married in real life- Todd Hughes and P. David Ebersole- with cool Cardin ties
Glamourpuss
Staff wearing Cardin outfits- Star Trek?
Annabelle Belmondo- model and daughter of Jean Paul Belmondo
Hey lady, in case you didn't realize it, but this is a tribute to Pierre Cardin, NOT Lanvin! Shame on you!
Pretty in pink feathers
Interior decorator and dandy Vincent Darré, on the right- love the coordinating mask and suit
Arielle Dombasle- eternal starlet at age 67, singer and actress married to Bernard Henri-Levy.
When do you think she last ate a morsel of food?
Not sure who this tall drink of water is
Pierre Cardin as a young boy
Can you see me in this outfit?
