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Known as the epicenter of luxury, design, and couture, France has singlehandedly taken the world on a fashion joyride. From Louis XIV’s excess to Christian Louboutin’s iconic heels, France gives us what we did not know we wanted…fantasy, opulence, and indulgence. Not content to rest on its laurels, the country continually presents us with designers who push the limits of imagination. The country’s 20th Century designers, from Chanel to Gaultier, showed the world that style can be as understated or as over-the-top as one wants. No decade of the 20th Century embodies this joie de vivre more than the 1980s.

After the Great Recession of 1980 in the United States and the austerity of the early to mid-20th Century around the globe, a new generation of French designers took centerstage and offered the world a unique way of expressing itself through clothing and design. Inspired by music, theater, and technology, this new crop of fashion designers combined luxury with a post-punk sensibility. While the older generations settled in to understated lifestyles, this younger generation sought to rebel against the establishment. The world economy was waking from its slumber, and an increase in disposable income provided the means to embrace the opulence that was to come to define the 1980s.

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Enter French designer Christian Lacroix, the man who would become the face of opulent couture that defined the 1980s. Born in Arles, France, in 1951, Lacroix describes himself as “a lonely, happy, but melancholic and anxious child. I always tried to escape real life into books, then movies and theater” (Borrelli-Persson). He left Arles to pursue a degree in art history in Montpellier, France. In 1973, Lacroix attended the Sorbonne in Paris where he defended his thesis on 17th Century French costumes. In addition to his studies at the Sorbonne, he studied to become a museum curator at the École du Louvre (Golbin).

In 1978, Lacroix began working at the house of Hèrmes, and by 1987, he opened his own atelier with financial backing from Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVHM (Golbin). His first collection was presented on July 26, 1987 where he caught the eye of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) who gave him the award for Most Influential Designer (Golbin). Christian Lacroix was now centerstage of the fashion world.
Inspired by his background in art history, Lacroix’s 1987 haute couture debut encompassed his love for theater, costumes, and 18th Century design. He sought to challenge Yves Saint Laurent’s 1961 pronouncement, “Haute couture cannot be modernised” (The Guardian). Saint Laurent was proven wrong when Lacroix updated his 1950s designs of bubble skirts and trapeze-line dresses. Lacroix embodied the extravagance of the 1980s by updating couture with dyed fur, opulent embellishments, hand-beaded gowns, bold patterns, and luxurious colors. The world of haute couture was turned upside down on July 26, 1987.

(Photo from thedailybeast.com)

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Lacroix updated the hyper-feminine lines of short hemlines and ruffles by adding bold black-and-white stripes paired with a fitted red wrap. The top emulates a traditional ball gown while the bottom adds a touch of youthful bounce. The ruffled sleeves peeking under the red wrap point to a bygone era of the Poet Shirt of the 17th and 18th Centuries.

(Photo from vintagenewsdaily.com)

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Lacroix turned his gaze back to Victorian era sensibility with a modest neckline and sleeves and a fitted waist. Victorian-inspired accessories are updated with brightly dyed feathers and a bold oversized brooch. The hemline is short, but the cut of it is a nod to Saint Laurent. Kitten heels, another throwback to the 1950s, are updated with a sublimely pointed toe. Black gloves complete the homage to the 19th Century sensibility of modest elegance.

(Photo from vintagenewsdaily.com)

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Walking Down the Aisle, Theatrically Speaking

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Walking Down the Aisle, Theatrically Speaking

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Steeped in his knowledge of theater and art, Lacroix redesigned the traditional bridal gown. Embracing his signature bubble skirt, he created a dramatic scene with layers of luxurious fabric. While the skirt is exaggerated, Lacroix created a fitted waistline and modest neckline. He gives a nod to his childhood in the Camargue with the lace accoutrements. The bridal veil is at once an incorporation of Victorian era design with the traditional bridal covering.

(Photo from vintagenewsdaily.com)

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Lacroix's specialty is costume in 17th Century French paintings. The lines of women's clothing from the 1600s included a fitted bodice with an exaggerated hip-to-floor cut. Lacroix sought to bring this design to the 1980s. Note the intricate embroidery of the bodice and sleeves, a very 1980s trend. The skirt is quilted and flounced. The red lipstick recalls the era of the 1940s and 1950s, yet another homage to the past.

(Photo from vintagenewsdaily.com)

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Lacroix updated haute couture that retained the elegance of refined lines but that also included embellishments not normally seen on couture pieces. The jacket here recalls the simple, elegant lines of the 1960s. However, Lacroix has beaded the jacket and included intricate floral designs. The skirt's luxurious pink fabric is embellished with additional bead work as well as lace. While the lines are simple, the embellishments and accessories are opulent.

(Photo from vintagenewsdaily.com)

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Black evening gowns are timeless. They have been a popular go-to for any formal occasion. However, in 1987, Lacroix took a classic 1950s inspired design and made it his own. Rather than the usual lines of a ball gown, Lacroix added a bubble skirt to allow for movement as well as for a unique touch. The bottom of the dress is adorned with beading, and the cape reflects the beading as well. Again, we see opulent jewelry and bold red lips, a nod to decades before.

(Photo from vintagenewsdaily.com)

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By the early 1980s, women adopted the menswear inspired suit for their jobs. By the mid-1980s, menswear found its way onto the haute couture runway. In this design, Lacroix pairs a structured and masculine blazer and buttoned-down shirt with a boldly printed skirt. The jacket is made of sheer material with intricate bead work giving it a balance between masculine and feminine designs. The boots are an updated version of 19th Century footwear. No matter how forward-thinking Lacroix can be, he always seems to pay homage to the fashions of times gone by.

(Photo from vintagenewsdaily.com)

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Perhaps in one of Lacroix's most iconic pieces we can see the culmination of his intellectual understanding of art and history. This dress encapsulates the concept of the mantua that was popular in 18th Century women's fashion. The fitted bodice and the rounded hips pay homage to the women of the court. The short hemline reflects a modern sensibility of 1980s haute couture that was surely bold to more traditional designers. Fringe adorns the hips while the peekaboo petticoat adds a touch of the boudoir.

(Photo from vintagenewsdaily.com)

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Christian Lacroix combined art, history, theater, and a fundamental understanding of design into a collection that awakened the world of haute couture. He was the voice of a new generation of designers, and his pieces are still studied to this day. We can consider July 26, 1987, to be the day that the old guard stepped aside for the new guard. Today, fashion students look to Monsieur Lacroix for inspiration as well as for his acumen. The world of fashion was never the same after that fateful day in 1987.

(Photo from LAOpera.org)

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Borrelli-Persson, Laird. “Talking With @fkachristianlacroix, aka the Real Christian Lacroix, About Instagram and the 1980s.” Vogue, 13 March 2019, https://www.vogue.com/article/fkachristianlacroix-the-real-christian-lacroix-about-instagram-and-the-1980s. Accessed 7 June 2020.

“Christian Lacroix, Costume Designer.” LA Opera, 2020, https://www.laopera.org/about-us/artists-2/creative-team/christian-lacroix. Accessed 7 June 2020.

“Christian Lacroix, the Heir to Yves Saint Laurent.” The Guardian, 18 October 1987, https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2017/oct/18/christian-lacroix-profile-1987. Accessed 5 June 2020.

“Fall-Winter 1987 Haute Couture: The Unique Collection of Women’s Fashion by Christian Lacroix.” Vintage News Daily, 25 February 2018, https://vintagenewsdaily.com/fall-winter-1987-haute-couture-the-unique-collection-of-womens-fashion-by-christian-lacroix/. Accessed 7 June 2020.

Golbin, Pamela. “Christian Lacroix.” LovetoKnow.com, 2020, https://fashion-history.lovetoknow.com/fashion-clothing-industry/fashion-designers/christian-lacroix. Accessed 6 June 2020.

Sidell, Misty White. “Report: Christian Lacroix Will Create Special Couture Collection for Schiaparelli.” thedailybeast.com, 11 July 2017, https://www.thedailybeast.com/report-christian-lacroix-will-create-special-couture-collection-for-schiaparelli?ref=scroll. Accessed 7 June 2020.