COURRGES, ANDR

born March 9, 1923, Pau, Fr. dress designer who first made a reputation in the Parisian fashion world of the 1960s for futuristic, youth-oriented styles. Courrges wished to be an artist, but his father, a butler in a wealthy English home, directed him into engineering, at which he was successful. But in 1948 he went to work in a small Parisian fashion house and eight months later joined the staff of the couturier Cristbal Balenciaga as a presser. Eleven years later, he had advanced to the position of Balenciaga's first assistant. In 1961 Courrges opened his own house but found it difficult, at first, to break away from the strong influence of Balenciaga. By 1964, however, he had become established as one of the most original couturiers in Paris. His collection featured proportionate, well-cut pants, rigidly constructed clothes with smooth trapeze, or trapezoidal, lines, and short skirts, with white midcalf boots and large, dark glasses as accessories. White became his trademark. Because his simple designs were widely copied, in 1965 he established strict control over the manufacture of his designs. In 1967 he showed both haute-couture creations and ready-to-wear fashions for his boutique, Couture Future, with distribution controlled through licensed outlets. His designs remained dramatically simple, with complete lack of nostalgia. His models, moving to lively rock music, wore such innovations as hip-hugger pants with halter tops, transparent tops, sequined jumpsuits, and vinyl-trimmed suits and coats.