The Early Years and Family Roots Lucien Lelong was born on 11 October 1889, in Paris, France. He was born directly into the world of fashion. His parents, Arthur Lelong and Éléonore Marie Lambelet, owned a modest but respected Parisian couture house called A. E. Lelong. With Lelong growing up surrounded by textiles and seamstresses, LelongContinue reading “How Lucien Lelong Became a Fashion Powerhouse”
Category Archives: fashion
Dior by Dior: The Autobiography of Christian Dior
I first read Dior’s autobiography so many years ago in its original version so French, and later an English translated version was gifted to me. Reading from Dior with his time as a protégée of Lucien Lelong, along with Pierre Balmain, during the Second World War. Plus, reading from himself in how his House ofContinue reading “Dior by Dior: The Autobiography of Christian Dior”
How Lucien Lelong Single-Handedly Saved French Haute Couture During WWII from the German Occupation
Lelong protected his younger designers including Christian Dior and Pierre Balmain, by keeping them employed inside his couture house during the Occupation. Under German rule, French men risked being deported to Germany for forced labour. By maintaining couture as an active industry, Lelong ensured that his staff remained classified as essential workers, protecting them fromContinue reading “How Lucien Lelong Single-Handedly Saved French Haute Couture During WWII from the German Occupation”
The Truth About the Dior–Balmain Friendship at Lelong
Pierre Balmain and Christian Dior worked side‑by‑side at Lucien Lelong’s couture house during the German Occupation, from 1940-1945, until Balmain branched out to establish his fashion house, House of Balmain. A strong bond was formulated between Dior and Balmain, while they had worked together at Lucien Lelong. Balmain was fiery, ambitious and sometimes argumentative. DiorContinue reading “The Truth About the Dior–Balmain Friendship at Lelong”
The Architecture of Winter (Dior and Balmain, 1943 at Lucien Lelong)
Title: The Architecture of Winter Setting: The atelier of Lucien Lelong, 15 Avenue Matignon, Paris. January 1943. Characters: Christian Dior (age 38): Soft-spoken, contemplative, wearing a heavy tweed overcoat and a wool scarf wrapped twice around his neck. Pierre Balmain (age 28): Sharp, energetic, wearing a patched wool blazer over two sweaters. His wool gloves have the fingertips clumsilyContinue reading “The Architecture of Winter (Dior and Balmain, 1943 at Lucien Lelong)”
The Invention of the Modern Beauty Salon
In Canada, a salon was either a beauty salon or the intellectual and literary salons. Today, let’s discuss the former; beauty salons. Beauty salons in Canada, really got its start in 1888, when Ontario-born, Canadian entrepreneur Martha Matilda Harper invented the commercial meaning of the word salon and the modern retail beauty salon, transforming hairContinue reading “The Invention of the Modern Beauty Salon”
