Cape
Yves Saint Laurent · late 1960s
Yves Saint Laurent
- Tailoring
- Art-inspired couture
- Eveningwear
Yves Saint Laurent connected couture with street dress, painting, historical reference and modern life. His designs ranged from Mondrian-inspired dresses to the women’s tuxedo known as Le Smoking.
Official house website
Five looks to know
Landmark design
Mondrian cocktail dress
Fall/Winter 1965 haute couture
Black bands and inset colored panels integrate the seams into an abstract composition, turning modern painting into a three-dimensional dress.
© Yves Saint Laurent / DALMAS/SIPA
Landmark design
The first Le Smoking
Fall/Winter 1966 haute couture
Saint Laurent recut the codes of men’s formal eveningwear for women, establishing the tuxedo as a lasting alternative in the couture wardrobe.
© Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris / Gérard Pataa - DR
Landmark design
Jumpsuit evening ensemble
Spring/Summer 1968 haute couture
A garment associated with aviators becomes eveningwear shaped for the female body, extending Saint Laurent’s transformation of functional clothing.
© Peter Caine (Sydney)
Landmark design
Safari pantsuit
Spring/Summer 1969 haute couture
This couture pantsuit develops the safari look into a coordinated women’s wardrobe following Saint Laurent’s celebrated 1968 interpretation.
© Gunnar Larsen
Landmark design
Russian evening ensemble
Opéra – Ballets russes · Fall/Winter 1976–77
Rich textiles, braid and a reinforced petticoat brought historical fantasy back to couture at a time when ready-to-wear was gaining ground.
The Metropolitan Museum of ArtCollections & archive pieces
2 collections represented · 4 pieceslate 1960s
1 piece · Season not recorded
spring/summer 1968
1 piece
Tunic
Yves Saint Laurent · spring/summer 1968
spring/summer 1970
1 piece
Ensemble
Yves Saint Laurent · spring/summer 1970
1973
1 piece · Season not recorded
Coat
Yves Saint Laurent · 1973
About Yves Saint Laurent
The combination of practical wardrobes and imaginative eveningwear made his influence unusually broad, with ideas moving between his runway, ready-to-wear and the people who wore them.