A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to find a dress designed by André Courrèges.  It was one of my most exciting finds.  I never dreamed of finding something by such an iconic designer.  It’s like getting struck by lightening – within the realm of possibilities, but highly unlikely to occur.  Well, lightening struck me twice, because this Saturday I found a jacket by Courrèges Homme.
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Courrèges trained under Cristobal Balenciaga from 1950 to 1960.  Learning from such a master influenced Courrèges for a long time.  After working for Balenciaga for 10 years, Courrèges opened his own house, Maison de Courrèges.  His designs always focus on comfort, simplicity, and precision – much of what he learned from Balenciaga.  During the 1960s, Courrèges became well-know for innovative silhouettes.  He was among the first to show a mini skirt in a couture show and introduced “moon boots” in 1964.  Moon boots are white, flat heeled, calf length boots.  Courrèges continued to innovate fashion throughout the 1960s and 1970s.  His Space Age collection in 1968 featured clothing that was simple, futuristic, and used lots of industrial hardware.
Ensemble and Moon Boots by André Courrèges, c. 1965.  Images are courtesy of the permanent collection of the P
owerhouse Museum.
It wasn’t until 1973 that Courrèges started designing menswear under the division Courrèges Homme. Like most men’s fashion, it seems that Courrèges Homme is mentioned only as a side note.  There are hundreds of articles and chronologies on his work, and they all only seem to list “1973, Courrèges Homme”.  So, I’ll have to rely mostly on looking at this menswear jacket and comparing it to the women’s wear labels to tell you more.
A major difference between the menswear line and womenswear is the logo used. Â The menswear has an interlocked “a” and “c” monogram, referencing the designer’s initials. Â Here the logo is on the left side as an embellishment, and it also appears on the label.
This interlocking monogram only appeared on objects for men, from what I’ve seen.  I was able to locate images of the Courrèges Homme fragrance, and a pair of men’s pants that have a label.  The pants look to be much more recent that the jacket I found.
Courrèges Homme aftershave.  Image courtesy of
Profumomania
The labels from Courrèges’s womenswear are much different.  They have a different monogram, it’s more stylized and the letters are placed next to each other.  See the label below, courtesy of
Fuzzy Lizzie via the Vintage Fashion Guild
Some womenswear contains no monogram at all, like the dress I found.
Regardless of gender, Courrèges liked to use industrial hardware in his designs. He used metal zippers, vinyl appliqué, and other non-traditional materials.  Instead of hiding zippers and seams, Courrèges liked to make him a focal point in a garment.  The jacket has a metal zipper with a circular pull tab – a detail so iconic of the designer.
The jacket also has metal snaps at the collar, side pockets, and waistline.  These details enhance the overall silhouette by keeping the fabric streamlined to the body.  The metal also adds interest to the plain jacket.  You can see a similar approach to using hardware as a design element in Courrèges’s womenswear.  This pink jersey dress zips up the left side had has snaps to secure the belt and other embellishments.
Sadly, I wasn’t able to discover much regarding the history ofÂ
Courrèges Homme.  A women’s line is still
available online, but there is no mention about the menswear division. Â (Sorry, guys!) Â However, I found it really interesting to compare details between his garments for men and women.
If you have an information on  Courrèges Homme, please share in the comments!  I’d love to learn more.
