Suit

Yves Saint Laurent|House of Dior

spring/summer 1959 · wool · Costume Institute

Christian Dior adopted the use of traditional menswear fabrics for women's suits and dresses early in his design career. By 1951, masculine textiles like grey flannel and navy broadcloth had became a staple in Dior collections, yet the designs of the garments made from these fabrics always flattered the female form. When Yves Saint Laurent replaced Dior as the head designer for the house of Dior, he retained these signature menswear fabrics. In this example from 1959, however, it is possible to see a loosening of the ultra-fitted tailoring Dior used. Saint Laurent recognized the aesthetic of the 1950s would not carry into the 1960s and moved the house forward with slightly more relaxed versions of Dior classics like this.

Artist

Yves Saint Laurent|House of Dior

Date

spring/summer 1959

Medium

wool

Culture

French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Henry Rogers Benjamin, 1965