Christian Lacroix : drama and color

 

"What I like the most is not the cut of clothes [...] it is the ambience that we create with materials and colors" said Christian Lacroix in 1995. In fact, all his creations as diverse as they are, attribute an important role for the warm and colorful decor.  The necklace that Expertissim.com offers is not an exception with its red, blue and green Baroque stones.

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Fantasy bead necklace and Byzantine cross, proposed by Expertissim.com

A faultless route
Born in 1951 in Arles, Christian Lacroix began studying art history at the University of Montpellier, before entering the Ecole du Louvre. He wrote his thesis on 18th century French outfits represented in paintings. Furthermore, he made many sketches and drawings of the theater and opera which serves as a major source of inspiration.
Christian Lacroix made his debut at Hermes for 3 years. He then worked 6 years at Jean Patou, during which he won the 1st gold prize and the title of "most influential foreign designer of the moment" by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Finally in 1987, Christian Lacroix founded his own firm, with funding from Bernard Arnault. At the same time, he was Artistic Director for the fashion house Emilio Pucci.

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Christian Lacroix boutique

A diverse career
After the success of his first luxury collections, Christian Lacroix opened several lines between 1988 and 2004: luxurious ready-to-wear, jeans, jewelry, men's fashion, linens, porcelain, stationery, etc. Due to a disagreement with Bernard Arnault in 2005, the Christian Lacroix fashion house was sold to the Falic Fashion Group, thus ending the women's collection.
Despite this, Christian Lacroix has always managed to remain present on the artistic scene, thanks to many collaborations. His creations included designing the uniforms for Air

France in 2004, decorating several Parisian hotels and cinemas, TGV train wagons in 2005, the tramway in Montpellier (expected completion in 2012), illustrating nine novels for Le Livre de Poche, etc.
Christian Lacroix has also created many costumes for the theater and opera. Inspired by Provence, Camargue, Spain as well as ancient costumes, they were often full of color and life, and are regularly exhibited in retrospectives.

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Christian Lacroix at the Ancient Theater of Arles in July 2008

Suggested outings?
If you missed the exhibition “l'Orient des femmes vu par Christian Lacroix” (Women in Orient)," organized by the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris from February to May 2011, try to rediscover his creations in several French cities this summer.
The Grand Theatre in Bordeaux presents until August 31st the exhibition “Divines inspirations” with almost 300 ballet and opera costumes, some by Christian Lacroix. This summer, do not miss the exhibition “18th Century Back in Fashion”, held at the Grand Trianon at Versailles until October 9th, where the dresses of the 18th century are paralleled with contemporary dresses by great designers, which include Christian Lacroix of course.
In the fall, you can see La Source,a ballet enlivened by costumes realized by Christian Lacroix ; it will be at the Paris Opera from October 22nd to November 12th, 2011.

Meanwhile, Expertissim.com offers you the opportunity to acquire a fantasy bead necklace created by Christian Lacroix, colorful just like the famous couturier from Arles.

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Christian Lacroix necklace for sale on Expertissim.com

Clémence ENRIQUEZ (étudiante à l'Université Paris 1-Panthéon Sorbonne)