Cocktail dress
Part of Yves Saint Laurent's challenge in taking over as the head designer at Dior involved maintaining the feminine designs for the house was known, while simultaneously looking ahead. With this day dress, Saint Laurent referenced the New Look silhouette with a belt to emphasize the waist, but the dress itself is smock-like, much looser than Dior's designs. The use of a printed chiffon makes the dress even softer. Saint Laurent later used the peasant-blouse bodice paired with a wide cummerbund belt to acclaim for his own label in the 1970s.
Artwork Details
- Title: Cocktail dress
- Design House: House of Dior (French, founded 1946)
- Designer: Yves Saint Laurent (French (born Algeria) Oran 1936–2008 Paris)
- Date: spring/summer 1958
- Culture: French
- Medium: silk, nylon
- Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Henry Rogers Benjamin, 1965
- Object Number: 2009.300.365
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
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Multiple artists/makers
fall/winter 1961–62
House of Dior
Marc Bohan
1980s
House of Dior
Christian Dior
spring/summer 1955
House of Dior
Gianfranco Ferré
spring/summer 1993
House of Dior
Gianfranco Ferré
1990–97
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