APPLIED ART : COSTUME

Object Name: Evening Dress (Short)
Maker: Yves Saint Laurent (Primary maker)
Yves Saint Laurent
Date Made: 1967 circa
1963 circa
1967 circa
Description: design : striped black and gold short evening dress. In the 1960s Yves Saint Laurent managed to combine haute couture methods with contemporary youthful designs more successfully than his peers, who could not compete with the hugely popular, cheap fashions coming from 'Swinging London'. He took over the house of Dior at the age of 21, and founded his own house in 1961. By the time of his retirement in 2002 he and his partner Pierre Bergé had built up a huge fashion, cosmetics and perfume empire, founded on Saint Laurent's superb and constantly innovative design skills Sometimes a fashionable revival relates to the material rather than to the cut. Sequins are a dramatic and effective evening dress embellishment, and when they are used overall they make a very strong statement. Exhibition text 'Reflections: Costume 1730-2013' Label text: Yves Saint Laurent was one of the most influential fashion designers of the twentieth century and was renowned for his exotic and adventurous styles. After becoming head designer for Dior, he later left to form his own label in 1960. The work fo the abstract artist Mondrian and, later, Pop Art, were his inspirations. In this dress he combines the simplicity of form and shape with the bold pattern of stripes, to create a truly striking evening dress. From exhibition label early 2000s Gold and black sequinned dress Yves Saint Laurent, 1966 In the 1960s the values of Parisian haute couture became out of tune with youth-oriented, cheap, simple, London-based styles which increasiingly dominated the market. Saint Laurent coped with this problem in several ways. He created a successful ready-to-wear range; he made his made-to-measure range so lavish and beautiful that the outfits were almost artworks; and he also managed to make dresses like this, which were youthful and striking yet obviously still the product of the haute couture system.
Catalogue Number: BELUM.T814
Copyright: National Museums NI

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