From the NYT's obituaries: "Pierre Cardin, Designer For Elite, Merchant To Masses, Is Dead at 98". In the 60's, his space-age inflected women's couture was widely copied generating knockoffs around the world. He was captivated by the worlds of theater and ballet, and designed costumes and sets. After the second WW, he apprenticed at several prominent fashion houses and then started his own. I love 60's fashion.