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Search - Fit for a Queen: Her Majesty Queen Sirikit s Creations by Balmain 1960 - 1962

Fit for a Queen Her Majesty Queen Sirikit s Creations by Balmain 1960 1962
Author: Melissa Leventon

In the late 1950s, King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit of Thailand began planning a six-month-long tour of the United States and 14 European nations that was to last from June to November 1960. Her Majesty undoubtedly knew that her wardrobe would receive close scrutiny from the Western press and public, and wanted to ensure that her appearance met E... more »uropeans' and Americans' expectations. Her Majesty was working with Thai designers and dressmakers to create a contemporary version of Thai national dress for use on tour, but had determined that she would need a Western fashionable wardrobe as well.

In the West, royal women, as well as the wives of heads of state, wore custom-made, highfashion clothes designed either in their own country or in Paris. The development and expression of their signature style was often linked to one or two specific designers, as in, for example, Queen Elizabeth II s patronage of British designers Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies, and the fashionable U.S. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy s use of Americans Oleg Cassini and Halston and French couturier Hubert de Givenchy. But not only did Thailand in 1959 have no internationally known designers of Western fashion, Her Majesty s dressmaker Urai Lueumrung advised that, [w]orking with wool, fur, overcoats, gloves, and hats was beyond the concepts and capability of Thai dressmakers at that time. Nor were they well-versed in the subtleties of Western dress etiquette for royalty. Therefore, in order ensure that she would present a proper appearance at all times, Her Majesty needed guidance from an experienced Western fashion designer who could not only create just the right clothes but advise her when and how to wear them. The logical choice was a French couturier as Paris was still the hub around which the high-fashion world revolved, as well as the locus of the West's most extensive bespoke fashion industry.

During the time the state visit was being planned, the French couturier Pierre Balmain stopped in Thailand on his way home from a holiday in Australia. Through mutual friends, he received an introduction to Her Majesty's dressmaker Urai Lueumrung and Princess Vibhavadi Rangsit, influential lady-in-waiting. Balmain was, at the time Her Majesty Queen Sirikit was looking for a designer, one of the largest, best-known, and most important couturiers in Paris one of relatively few who had sufficient stature, skill and capacity to do the job well. Additionally, he offered Her Majesty the assurance of an established reputation for elegance and considerable experience dressing a roster of other royal clients from French princesses to Queen Marie-José of Italy to the Duchess of Windsor.

When Balmain met Her Majesty, he proposed a simple, uncluttered style that found favor with both the Queen and His Majesty the King, who personally awarded him full responsibility for the royal wardrobe. Thus began for Balmain, the most marvellous assignment that a couturier could hope to have. To dress a young, attractive Queen is a joy . Now for the first time, photographs of all the outfits Balmain designed, together with examples of some of the 1,000s of sketches made specially available from the house of Balmain in Paris, are gathered together in this beautiful book by well-known textile historian and conservateur Melissa Leventon. The book is a tribute to a unique collaboration which led to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of Thailand being voted one of the world s most beautiful and best dressed women.

ISBN-13: 9786167339634
ISBN-10: 6167339635
Publication Date: 10/31/2015
Pages: 220
Rating:

0 stars, based on 0 rating

Publisher: River Books Press Dist A C
Book Type: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

Genres:

Arts & Photography >> Graphic Design >> Commercial >> Fashion Design
Arts & Photography >> Graphic Design >> Design >> Textile & Costume

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Search - Fit for a Queen: Her Majesty Queen Sirikit s Creations by Balmain 1960 - 1962

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