Pierre Balmain Monsieur shirt

[mdisbell]

I have a Pierre Balmain Monsieur shirt and I was hoping that my SF friends could help me with information about it. I know it is a vintage shirt, but I don't know how old it is.

I have googled it and found absolutely NO INFORMATION about this shirt or this specific Balmain label. Can anyone enlighten me about this shirt, particularly it's worth? Here are some pics of it:

 

[rach2jlc]

Balmain womenswear is haute couture and very pricey, but his menswear is licensed, not unlike the old Dior Monsieur and old YSL Pour Homme.

So, the shirt may be fun and by all means wear it if it fits you and you like it, but the vast majority of Balmain I've seen was intended for airport Duty Free Shops or others of that line and, these days, found in a vintage thrift store for $15 or less.

 

[mdisbell]

Guess I will just keep it then if there isn't anything special about it.

 

[rach2jlc]

Most of the big-name designers licensed out their names in the 70's and 80's and nearly diluted/destroyed their brand integrity over it. YSL, Dior, Pierre Cardin, Balenciaga, Balmain, etc etc etc. I guess they thought it was an easy way to make quick money, but overall, most "vintage" menswear items you will find from major brands won't be much to get excited about.

That being said, does the shirt have a "made in" tag or anything? Again, I don't think it's going to be anything much, but it still might be a fun shirt for you to wear and keep if it fits you.

 

[mdisbell]

No, there is no "made in" tag. The only tag is the inside bottom shirt tag that gives washing instructions to "commercial launder", etc.

 

[rach2jlc]

Originally Posted by mdisbell

No, there is no "made in" tag. The only tag is the inside bottom shirt tag that gives washing instructions to "commercial launder", etc.

Oh, okay. In any case, like I said, unfortunately I don't think you found a hidden treasure; my guess is it might be worth $10 or so. BUT, still, it looks like it might be a decent shirt to wear if it fits you.

 

[mdisbell]

Any suggestions on how to find out more information about it, just in case I have a "treasure" on my hands.

 

[rach2jlc]

You can see some stuff on ebay:
http://clothing.shop.ebay.com/items/...=p3286.c0.m282

Other than that, there's not a lot of info on these items because they were licensed out stuff made for the mass-market; Balmain has never had an actual "men's collection" like his women's collection. He's a woman's couturier that had a license to slap his name on Men's shirts, jackets, and neckties.

 

[mdisbell]

Okay, thanks for your help. I had already searched Ebay and found those exact same results before I inquired. Nothing on Ebay has this same label, and I couldn't find even ONE article of clothing through google that had this same label.

I guess I will keep looking and maybe I will find information on it. I guess, all possible value aside, it is now a curiosity issue.