# Pierre Cardin -- was it once good?



## Nobleprofessor (Jul 18, 2014)

I found a NEW old stock Pierre Cardin suit at an estate sale. It is exceptionally nice. The workmanship is better than practically any other suits I have seen. It's fully canvassed, all sorts of expensive little details (Bemburg lining, hand finished button holes, super high quality fabric, etc.) 
This was in a closet where every other suit was Zegna, Burberry, Canali, Southwick, Armani, Nick Hilton etc. 

Here's my question, was Pierre Cardin a premium brand at some point? I know it was big in the 80's and it is still around, but is junky clothing sold at Kohls. 

This suit fits, it needs a little tailoring, but unless I'm not seeing this suit clearly it looks exceptional.


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## Spex (Nov 25, 2012)

All I know about Pierre Cardin is that John Steed was outfitted with his suits in the first colour season of The Avengers.


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## 12345Michael54321 (Mar 6, 2008)

Back in the 1970's, I received a Pierre Cardin backgammon set, as a birthday present.

It was a pretty nice backgammon set.

As for your Pierre Cardin suit, if it's of excellent quality - fully canvassed, high quality fabric, expertly hand-finished details, etc. - then clearly Pierre Cardin was once a brand that turned out excellent quality suits. I mean, what more evidence do you need?


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## Nobleprofessor (Jul 18, 2014)

12345Michael54321 said:


> Back in the 1970's, I received a Pierre Cardin backgammon set, as a birthday present.
> 
> It was a pretty nice backgammon set.
> 
> As for your Pierre Cardin suit, if it's of excellent quality - fully canvassed, high quality fabric, expertly hand-finished details, etc. - then clearly Pierre Cardin was once a brand that turned out excellent quality suits. I mean, what more evidence do you need?


I was just trying to reconcile it in my mind. I thought they were junk. I also didn't know if there was a different line of Pierre Cardin that was better.


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## EclecticSr. (Sep 21, 2014)

Here's my question, was Pierre Cardin a premium brand at some point?

Yes, in the early seventies the firm produced some very good quality garments. I had a three piece navy suit from that era, wore it to death. The brand started to take a nose dive shortly thereafter and you could find their suits in dept. stores along with their cologne.


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## WillBarrett (Feb 18, 2012)

Look, George! It's a Pierre Cardin!


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## Spin Evans (Feb 2, 2013)

WillBarrett said:


> Look, George! It's a Pierre Cardin!


We have a winner, folks!


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## WillBarrett (Feb 18, 2012)

Spin Evans said:


> We have a winner, folks!


When I was in middle school, I was in a 4H public speaking contest. I was making a speech on the benefits of organ donation. One girl was giving a short histor of fashion. She referred to Christian Dior as if his name were Christian Dire.

Brutal.


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## Nobleprofessor (Jul 18, 2014)

WillBarrett said:


> Look, George! It's a Pierre Cardin!


Poor George he never got the 1200 mile buffer.


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

Your personal evidence plus the fact that he could cheapen his name and sell cheap goods in the '70s and '80s - I had a Pierre Cardin tie in the '70s from (I think) Robert Hall which was a discount outlet of not high quality goods - says that he must have had a time (probably the '60s or '50s) when he was a serious and respected force in fashion (probably women's). He had to have had a heyday to be able to sell out in the '70s an '80s. Purely from memory, but there might even have been a Pierre Cardin Lincoln car designed color combination (or some such nonsense) in the '70s. He was selling his name as hard as he could. 

All that said, if the suit's particulars are high quality - that's all you need. Enjoy it.


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## EclecticSr. (Sep 21, 2014)

Fading Fast said:


> Your personal evidence plus the fact that he could cheapen his name and sell cheap goods in the '70s and '80s - I had a Pierre Cardin tie in the '70s from (I think) Robert Hall which was a discount outlet of not high quality goods - says that he must have had a time (probably the '60s or '50s) when he was a serious and respected force in fashion (probably women's). He had to have had a heyday to be able to sell out in the '70s an '80s. Purely from memory, but there might even have been a Pierre Cardin Lincoln car designed color combination (or some such nonsense) in the '70s. He was selling his name as hard as he could.
> 
> All that said, if the suit's particulars are high quality - that's all you need. Enjoy it.


I believe your right about the designer car and if not mistaken Bill Blass had that honor as well. Robert Hall and Bond clothing were popular back then, sort of the JAB of their day but to an even lower standard. Your qualifier " of not high quality goods " pretty much nails it. My one Cardin rig mentioned earlier purchased in Manhattan, can't recall where, worked in the city back then, late sixties very early seventies was of good quality.


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## efdll (Sep 11, 2008)

If memory serves me right Pierre Cardin ushered in the era of men's designer clothes. Until then it was tailors at the high end and brand names, e.g. Hickey Freeman, at the middle and lower. But then a critical mass of men began to interest themselves in fashion, and fashion is all about change and about the runway, thus the bizarro shoulders on the suits above, less weird, really, than what's on the runway these days. The designer label move coincided or rather was a manifestation of the changes that had occurred in culture in the late '60s and would continue, now mass-produced, in the '70s and beyond. Though in this forum designer names are anathema, I don't want to disparage the phenomenon. It happened, period, as so many things do. And it was exploited for financial gain, but then bespoke tailors make a profit too -- or used to, these days it's hard to make a living off the craft in spite of the outrageous prices. True, Cardin, as many others, cheapened the name with shoddy goods that were nothing but an endorsement, like an athlete plugging a car or cereal, with some vague reference to the original style. Today men's designer clothes are identified with such shoddiness, as well as with trends that boggle the mind, like "ironic" style. These trends come from runway culture, where a designer can be playful to the point of nonsense -- the lasting influence of Dada. But when it comes to what one wears everyday, they lose a lot in translation from runway to mall. On the other hand, any look at the history of fashion will reveal outrageousness galore. Nothing new under the sun. The fact that originally these suits were made according to high standards of quality tells us a sad story of how eventually all you need to sell a name is the name. Enjoy your vintage Pierre Cardin!


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## Semper Jeep (Oct 11, 2011)

Somewhere along the way I saw a short documentary about Pierre Cardin about how he was one of the first designers to license his name to other types of products and just went crazy with it. Over the years, he made an absolute boatload of money doing so. In more recent years he's used a big chunk of that massive fortune to buy and restore a castle in France originally owned by the Marquis de Sade.


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## style417 (Jun 28, 2014)

EclecticSr. said:


> I believe your right about the designer car and if not mistaken Bill Blass had that honor as well. Robert Hall and Bond clothing were popular back then, sort of the JAB of their day but to an even lower standard. Your qualifier " of not high quality goods " pretty much nails it. My one Cardin rig mentioned earlier purchased in Manhattan, can't recall where, worked in the city back then, late sixties very early seventies was of good quality.


Pucci, Bill Blass, Cartier and Givenchy did designer cars for Lincoln. AMC had Cardin, Cassini and Gucci do designer models for them; Cardin's AMC Javelin can be seen at this site: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cur...sic-1972-amc-javelin-pierre-cardin-no-really/


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## L-feld (Dec 3, 2011)

Pierre Cardin was probably the premier continental designer of the 1960's. In many ways it is the polar opposite of the "baggier is better" Ivy look - strong shoulders, aggressive waist suppression, painted on trousers, etc.

But for those who like the "Euro" look, Pierre Cardin suits of the 60's are something of a grail.


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## Nobleprofessor (Jul 18, 2014)

style417 said:


> Pucci, Bill Blass, Cartier and Givenchy did designer cars for Lincoln. AMC had Cardin, Cassini and Gucci do designer models for them; Cardin's AMC Javelin can be seen at this site: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cur...sic-1972-amc-javelin-pierre-cardin-no-really/


i knew about the Bill Blass and Cartier Lincolns. The Cartier Lincoln was around for years. But a Pierre Cardin AMC? That is just embarrassing. But, I bet he is laughing all the way to the bank. He is one of the top 10 wealthiest make fashion designers.

https://www.therichest.com/rich-list/world/the-10-richest-male-fashion-designers/#

Dont get me wrong. I think he is sort of joke, selling his name for everything, but he does make money.


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## style417 (Jun 28, 2014)

Nobleprofessor said:


> i knew about the Bill Blass and Cartier Lincolns. The Cartier Lincoln was around for years. But a Pierre Cardin AMC? That is just embarrassing. But, I bet he is laughing all the way to the bank. He is one of the top 10 wealthiest make fashion designers.
> 
> https://www.therichest.com/rich-list/world/the-10-richest-male-fashion-designers/#
> 
> Dont get me wrong. I think he is sort of joke, selling his name for everything, but he does make money.


From the article I posted, it did not cost AMC a lot of money to hire him at that time as he was still building his name in the US. In reality it was probably a better deal for Cardin as he got his name out there in another area, but AMC did not sell all that many designer cars.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

Nothing says "70s" like Pierre Cardin, AMC, or English Leather!!


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## ThatDudeOrion (Jun 17, 2014)

WouldaShoulda said:


> Nothing says "70s" like Pierre Cardin, AMC, or English Leather!!


Corinthian leather?


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## efdll (Sep 11, 2008)

Fraser Tartan said:


> This is the interior of the Pierre Cardin AMC Javelin.


Maybe I'm tripping, but that looks like a Thom Browne BB Black Fleece accessory.


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## Nobleprofessor (Jul 18, 2014)

ThatDudeOrion said:


> Corinthian leather?


Corinthian Leather was Chrysler with Ricardo Montalban doing the voice.


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## Duvel (Mar 16, 2014)

Somebody way back then bought me Pierre Cardin cologne. It was awful.


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## 32rollandrock (May 1, 2008)

efdll said:


> Maybe I'm tripping, but that looks like a Thom Browne BB Black Fleece accessory.


On acid.


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## style417 (Jun 28, 2014)

efdll said:


> Maybe I'm tripping, but that looks like a Thom Browne BB Black Fleece accessory.


Very good! :biggrin:


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## Natty Beau (Apr 29, 2014)

Fraser Tartan said:


> This is the interior of the Pierre Cardin AMC Javelin.


Anybody know what the fourth pedal does? I'm genuinely curious.


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## 12345Michael54321 (Mar 6, 2008)

Natty Beau said:


> Anybody know what the fourth pedal does? I'm genuinely curious.


Purely a guess on my part, but might it be (1) gas; (2) brake; (3) clutch; (4) parking/emergency brake?


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

Duvel said:


> Somebody way back then bought me Pierre Cardin cologne. It was awful.







All of my men wear English Leather...


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## Nobleprofessor (Jul 18, 2014)

Natty Beau said:


> Anybody know what the fourth pedal does? I'm genuinely curious.


Emergency brake. See how it's higher and there is a release right above it?


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## Brio1 (May 13, 2010)

Define " good ". My good could be your bad or vice versa.


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## ThatDudeOrion (Jun 17, 2014)

Nobleprofessor said:


> Corinthian Leather was Chrysler with Ricardo Montalban doing the voice.


Indeed, it was just a funny tie-in that I thought of given all the car talk, and to me personally, Montalban's commercials are much more reminiscent of the 70's than English Leather.



WouldaShoulda said:


> All of my men wear English Leather...


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## Nobleprofessor (Jul 18, 2014)

ThatDudeOrion said:


> Indeed, it was just a funny tie-in that I thought of given all the car talk, and to me personally, Montalban's commercials are much more reminiscent of the 70's than English Leather.


i thought it was funny!


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

...and the English Leather chick is better to look at than Ricardo.

And then there is Hai Karate!!


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## Natty Beau (Apr 29, 2014)

Nobleprofessor said:


> Emergency brake. See how it's higher and there is a release right above it?


Thank you. Looking at it again, I just realized what I thought was the clutch is just a place to rest your left foot. Including the E brake I thought I saw five pedals, but I was mistaken. Oops!


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## 12345Michael54321 (Mar 6, 2008)

Natty Beau said:


> I thought I saw five pedals, but I was mistaken.


Imagine if automobile pedals were like razors, where for some years now the marketing trend has been to have as many blades as possible crammed into a razor's head.

"The first brake pedal slows the car, so that the second brake pedal can conduct _micro-slowing_, which brings the car to a nearly complete stop. Then the third brake pedal takes the car to absolute stillness. While the fourth brake pedal removes any residual side-to-side motion. Finally, the door-mounted fifth brake pedal is specially engineered to stop the car when on an incline.

"The AMC Slug Coupe. Now with Penta-Braking Technology (PBT).

"AMC - When you want your car to sit utterly motionless.

"And New For 2015 - The AMC Slug Imperial Brougham 'Tom Ford Special Limited Designer Edition'. Featuring Fine Corinthian Pleather, stitched in place by Space Age Robots, to millimeter precision." (Disclaimer: Corinthian-type pleather not necessarily sourced in Corinthia. It is neither affirmed, nor implied, that any natural leather is incorporated into the formation of the pleather. The robots in question are not necessarily of Asmovian positronic brain architecture, nor 3-Laws compliant. Tom Ford has no connection to Ford Motor Company, or its subsidiaries.)


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## Odradek (Sep 1, 2011)

Fraser Tartan said:


> This is the interior of the Pierre Cardin AMC Javelin.





WouldaShoulda said:


> Nothing says "70s" like Pierre Cardin, AMC, or English Leather!!


Or this, from that same Curbside Classics article.
The matching clothing.


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## style417 (Jun 28, 2014)

Odradek said:


> Or this, from that same Curbside Classics article.
> The matching clothing.


I provided the link to the CC article but could not bring myself to link that picture as an example. Even though I lived through them, the 70s have a lot to answer for!


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

At least those brass rings look better on clothes than in noses!!


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## Allen Dreadmon (Nov 8, 2014)

I once owned a vintage Pierre Cardin leather messenger bag. I liked it until the wool lining came loose and I had to retire it.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

If Mr. Cardin was good enough for the American Motors Corporation, he's good enough for you!!


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## Nobleprofessor (Jul 18, 2014)

WouldaShoulda said:


> If Mr. Cardin was good enough for the American Motors Corporation, he's good enough for you!!


I think that was one of those backwards compliments!


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## Howard (Dec 7, 2004)




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## Duvel (Mar 16, 2014)

That's an arousing image.


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## Beresford (Mar 30, 2006)

Fraser Tartan said:


> Some of his work (seriously).


Was this his Japanese samurai look?


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