Cocktail ensemble

Yves Saint Laurent|House of Dior

spring/summer 1959 · silk · Costume Institute

One of Saint Laurent's notable designs was a precisely tailored, tuxedo-inspired jacket paired with either a skirt or trousers in an ensemble known as "le smoking." As an alternative to more traditional feminine evening gowns, this design received a great deal of attention in the 1970s. Two of Saint Laurent's 1959 designs for Dior, however, this ensemble and another from the same gift (2009.300.20a, b), show a much earlier iteration of the idea. While neither is as severe or androgynous as the later versions of "le smoking," both of these cocktail ensembles exhibit characteristics of Saint Laurent's signature menswear-inspired look.

Artist

Yves Saint Laurent|House of Dior

Date

spring/summer 1959

Medium

silk

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