WABI connotes rustic freshness or quietness and can be applied to both natural and human-made objects to understand elegance to the work of Parisian designer Pierre Cardin. The most iconic exmaple of wabi is the Japanese tea ceremony, in which the pottery items used are often rustc and symmetreical. His just-shown autumn/winter ready-to-wear collections were with nods to the 60ies in particular the high-haired dance-skirt-wearing women seen at Prada and Giles, and a recreation of the 60ies version of what the future would look like at Balenciaga.
Some of the most defining silhouettes that came from the 1960ies were the result of Pierre Cardin´s futuristic aesthetic, and now with Assouline releasing a 60th anniversary coffee table book to honour the designer´s contribution to fashion, it´s time to reassess Monsieur Cardin. While London (specifically Carnaby Street) was in the sharp-tailored throes of the mod movement, Cardin was setting a standard for high-end, experimental fashion in Europe. At the time his designs were truly space-age, and his galactic, geometric shapes completely ignored the female form – an approach that hadn´t really been seen before. Fashion as an art form was favoured over practicality, and a new, more fashion-forward way of thinking was applied to clothes design. The legendary bubble dresses aside, it was also Cardin´s knack for business that made his brand a success. In 1956, just six years after starting up his enterprise (and having international success with the aforementioned bubble dress) Cardin made a trip to Japan. He was the first couturier to look to Japan as a high-fashion market, which proved to be a savvy and lucrative move. He was also one of the first designers to pad out business and branch out the first financially worthwhile collaborations (in the 1970ies he designed the industrials of popular American car model AMC Javelin). Of course, you could argue that a designer going into mass media overdrive doesn´t always guarantee a lasting relevance.
The release of the book, however, is a ll about celebration. Penned by Jean –Pascal Hesse, Cardin´s director of communications for almost 15 years, the book focuses on Pierre´s position in Parisian fashion history. Having worked with Elsa Schiaparelli and then Christian Dior in the 40ies while he was setting up his business, Cardin is a rarity. An original couturier who is still among us and these days is best known for his costume work on international theatre and opera productions – and his chain of restaurants, Maxim´s. When a few drops of olive oil splatter your freshly pressed dress shirt at lunch. And although he may not be churning out groundbreaking designs for the ready –to-wear world anymore, the countless exhibitions that pop up in his honour worldwide almost every year, and the release of this book, are proof that he´s still the hottest reference point going – Pierre Cardin 60 years of Innovation is published by 55, Assouline
Filed under: Craftmanship, Assouline
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