Dress

Yves Saint Laurent|Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche|Yves Saint Laurent

1971 · rayon, polyester, plastic (vinyl) · Costume Institute

Yves Saint Laurent’s scandalous 1971 “Libération” collection featured signature elements of 1940s fashion—square shoulders, platform shoes, short fox jackets, and strong makeup. The collection was provocative for its advancement of a seductive femininity and for its appropriation of styles worn during wartime and occupation, which some critics read as nostalgia for a time of deprivation. The retro styles reflected fashions already worn by trendsetting young women in London, New York, and Paris, and foreshadowed the irreverent, ironic form of historicism that informed avant-garde fashion in the late twentieth century. This dress, with a print of bright red lips against a black ground, belongs to the ready-to-wear interpretation of the collection, which proved less controversial.

Artist

Yves Saint Laurent|Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche|Yves Saint Laurent

Date

1971

Medium

rayon, polyester, plastic (vinyl)

Culture

French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Purchase, Gould Family Foundation Gift, in memory of Jo Copeland, 2010