LACROIX was born 16 May 1951 in Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône in southern France. At a young age he began sketching historical costumes and fashions. LACROIX graduated from secondary school in 1969 and moved to Montpellier, to study Art History at the University of Montpellier. In 1971, he enrolled at the Sorbonne in Paris. While working on a dissertation on dress in French 18th-century painting, LACROIX also pursued a program in museum studies at the École du Louvre. His aspiration during this time was to become a museum curator. It was during this time he met his future wife Françoise ROSENTHIEL, whom he married in 1974. She encouraged his interest in fashion, which led to his taking positions at Hermés and Guy Paulin. He became the designer for Jean Patou in 1981, revitalizing the flagging couture house and upping sales from thirty dresses a season to 100. He seduced the fashion press with spectacular shows, reviving fashion staples such as the frou-frou petticoat and the puffball skirt. In 1987, with the backing of five million francs from the textile conglomerate Financiére Agache, LACROIX opened his new couture house.