Yves Saint Laurent

Yves Saint Laurent and the Little Black Dress

Along this wall are examples of the elegant evening wear for which Yves Saint Laurent is justly famous. He has long acknowledged his debt to the spirit of Coco Chanel, and it is in this grouping that you see the influence of the little black dress that has long been associated with Chanel. Saint Laurent, however, brought his own genius to the creation of this staple of the elegant woman's wardrobe.

Saint Laurent garments are masterfully cut and draped to achieve an intricate line, and particular attention is paid to the textures of the fabrics chosen. These textures, ranging from deep, dark velvets to sheer silk chiffons, bring great variety and beauty to each ensemble. These are far from simple little black dresses.

Left to Right:

Cocktail Dress, 1992
Black silk faille; pointed detail on collar and cuffs
Gift of the Estate of Joanne Toor Cummings, KSUM 1996.81.108a-d

Cocktail Dress, 1985
Black silk satin, surplice front and petal hem
Gift of the Estate of Joanne Toor Cummings, KSUM 1996.81.110

Evening Dress, about 1970
Black silk crepe with fringe at neckline
Gift of Aileen Mehle, KSUM 1988.56.6

Evening Dress, about 1970
Black silk velvet with underdress of pink silk cloque
Gift of the Estate of Joanne Toor Cummings, KSUM 1989.21.27ab

Evening Dress, 1975
Black and silver lace and black velvet with scalloped back neckline
Gift of Aileen Mehle, KSUM 1990.105.8

Cocktail Dress, 1975
Black silk velvet with sweetheart neckline and rose detail
Gift of Aileen Mehle, KSUM 1990.105.7

Cocktail Dress, 1990
Black silk cloque organza with surplice front and black satin trimming
Gift of the Estate of Joanne Toor Cummings, KSUM 1996.81.107

On Being a Couturier

". . . Dior had taught me to love something other than fashion and style: the essential nobility of a couturier's craft. I believe that a designer who is not also a couturier, who hasn't learned the most refined mysteries of physically creating his models, is like a sculptor who gives his drawings to another man, an artisan, to accomplish. For him the truncated process of creating will always be an interrupted act of love, and his style will bear the shame of it, the impoverishment. The couture began as a place where the most knowledgeable and most exigent of women were dressed with the greatest perfection. It survives because a few of those women still survive. . . ."

Yves Saint Laurent (as told to G. Y. Dryansky)

Left to Right:

Evening Dress, Autumn/Winter, 1993
Bodice and skirt of black silk taffeta with chine floral motifs
Gift of Mrs. William McCormick Blair, Jr., KSUM 2002.46.2ab

Evening Dress, Autumn/Winter 1997
Black silk gazar
Gift of Mrs. William McCormick Blair, Jr.,KSUM 2002.46.1

Cocktail Suit, about 1993
Black wool with black silk twill detailing
Gift of the Estate of Joanne Toor Cummings, KSUM 1996.81.112ab

Evening Ensemble, about 1987
Gray silk faille and chiffon: two skirts, jacket and blouse
Gift of the Estate of Joanne Toor Cummings, KSUM 1996.81.113 a-e

Yves Saint Laurent on the Haute Couture

"Anyone can whimsically create a fashion. Few can make a real piece of clothing."

"Haute couture is a multitude of whispered secrets. Those who have the privilege of transmitting them are rare."

"To work on my dresses, to construct them, I need a living model. A moving body. I couldn't work just on a wooden mannequin. Because for me a piece of clothing must move, and to then place it in everyday life I need the presence of a woman's body."

David Teboul, Yves Saint Laurent

"After so many years of exploring, my art still fascinates me. I know of no greater exaltation. You think there is no going further, that everything is forever fixed and finished - and then, suddenly, depths and vistas reveal themselves that you thought out of reach and that your wealth of experience now fully opens to you."

Yves Saint Laurent (as told to G. Y. Dryansky)

Left to Right:

Evening Dress, 1989
Black lace over layers of black and brown chiffon trimmed with ostrich
and tips of cock feathers; separate partial sleeves
Gift of Yves Saint Laurent, KSUM 1991.75.1a-c

Cocktail Dress, 1990
Separate skirt with black silk chiffon overdress and belt
Gift of the Estate of Joanne Toor Cummings, KSUM 1996.81.109a-d
Shown with black satin Yves Saint Laurent evening shoes, gift of Helen O. Borowitz

Cocktail Dress, 1980
Black satin trimmed with rhinestones and feathers
Gift of Aileen Mehle, KSUM 1987.87.6

Evening Dress, 1990
Pale blue crepe-back satin
Gift of the Estate of Joanne Toor Cummings, KSUM 1996.81.103

Ready-to-Wear Evening Ensemble, about 1966-67
Label: Saint Laurent/Rive Gauche
Silverman/Rodgers Collection, KSUM 1983.1.1208ab
White silk blouse with ruffled collar; black velvet knickers
This ensemble is from one of the first ready-to-wear collections designed
by Yves Saint Laurent who was the first of the couturiers to develop a
prêt-à-porter collection conceived for machine fabrication.

Evening Ensemble, 1965
Beaded evening blouse with cream silk crepe skirt
Gift of Aileen Mehle, KSUM 1986.2.15

Evening Dress, about 1977
Cream-colored figured silk printed with black cabbage roses
Gift of Joanne Toor Cummings, KSUM 1989.21.16

Left to Right:

Evening Dress, Soirée de Paris, Autumn/Winter 1955
Black silk velvet trimmed with white silk satin
Label: Christian Dior, Paris
Gift of Marti Stevens, from the wardrobe of Marlene Dietrich,
Silverman/Rodgers Collection, KSUM 1983.1.1253ab
White satin sash reproduced for the museum by Christian Dior, Paris, in 1996
In 1955, just after the completion of his studies, Saint Laurent was introduced to Christian Dior,
who hired him immediately as his assistant. This is the first dress Saint Laurent designed for Dior,
and it was made famous in this photograph of the model Dovima by Richard Avedon for
Harper's Bazaar.
CLICK HERE FOR BETTER VIEW

Cocktail Dress, 1995
Black re-embroidered lace over brown and black chiffon with brown satin cummerbund
Gift of Mrs. William McCormick Blair, Jr., KSUM 1999.49.9

Evening Ensemble, 1990
Dress and poncho-like drapes in shades of brown silk chiffon
Gift of the Estate of Joanne Toor Cummings, KSUM 1996.81.104ab

Cocktail Ensemble, about 1981
Jacket and skirt of black silk jacquard; blouse of brown silk chiffon; belt of black snakeskin
Gift of the Estate of Joanne Toor Cummings, KSUM 1996.81.126

Suits

"So I am a classicist. I am fond of discipline. I find men's clothing fascinating because sometime between, say, 1930 and 1936 a handful of basic shapes were created and still prevail as a sort of scale of expression, with which every man can project his own personality and his own dignity. I've always wanted to give women the protection of that sort of basic wardrobe - protection from ridicule, freedom to be themselves. It pains me physically to see a woman victimized, rendered pathetic, by fashion."

Yves Saint Laurent (as told to G. Y. Dryansky)

"Saint Laurent designs for women with double lives. His day clothes help a woman confront the world of strangers. They permit her to go everywhere without drawing unwelcome attention, and with their somewhat masculine quality, they give her a certain force, prepare her for encounters that may become a conflict of wills. In the evening, when a woman chooses to be with those she is fond of, he makes her seductive."

Catherine Deneuve

Left to Right:

Evening Pantsuit, about 1980
Jacket and pants of bronze satin with diagonal front button detail
Gift of Robert Rimsky, KSUM 1996.37.17

Day Suit, about 1990
Tan wool herringbone; shown with a Rive Gauche blouse in a tiger print
Gift of the Estate of Joanne Toor Cummings, KSUM 1996.81.134ab (suit); .155 (blouse)

Day suit, 1980s
Medium brown gabardine with cuffed jacket and gold buttons;
shown with a blouse of tan and grey silk jacquard
Gift of Mrs. William McCormick Blair, Jr., KSUM 1995.60.18ab (suit)
Gift of the Estate of Joanne Toor Cummings, KSUM 1996.81.142a-d (blouse)

Day Ensemble, 1995
Grey wool gabardine jacket and skirt with silk charmeuse blouse and scarf
Gift of Mrs. William McCormick Blair, Jr., KSUM 2002.46.6a-f

Day Suit, about 1990
Brown wool gabardine with blouse of royal blue silk jacquard
Gift of Mrs. William McCormick Blair, Jr., KSUM 1997.72.2a-d

Left to Right:

Day Dress, about 1986
Grey-brown heather wool twill with brown suede belt
Gift of the Estate of Joanne Toor Cummings, KSUM 1996.81.128ab

Day Jumpsuit, about 1975
Grey wool gabardine with brown suede belt
Gift of the Estate of Joanne Toor Cummings, KSUM 1996.81.139ab

The designer described the collection following the Spring Ballets Russes collection as
        "colorful, lively, bright. The fabrics will be woven like in Morocco, striped like djellabahs, in wool. This
        collection will be the continuation of the last. I had so much to say last time I couldn't say it all.
        This time I'll say the rest. I don't know if this is my best collection. But it is my most beautiful
        collection."

Yves Saint Laurent, Diana Vreeland and others, eds.,
Yves Saint Laurent (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1983), 39.

Left to Right:

"Safari" Day Suit, 1968
Camel colored wool gabardine
Silverman/Rodgers Collection, KSUM 1983.1.2111ab

Casual Day Ensemble, 1975
Camel colored ribbed knit tunic and pants
Gift of Aileen Mehle, KSUM 1986.2.2ab

Day Suit, 1976
Camel colored wool jacket with passementerie; brown wool bias cut skirt; tasseled belt
Silverman/Rodgers Collection, KSUM 1983.1.2108a-d

Day Coat, Fall/Winter 1976
Wool striped in shades of brown with passementerie; hood with tassel
Gift of Aileen Mehle, KSUM 1988.56.8

Woman and the Couturier

"Dressing is a way of life. It brings you joy. It can give you freedom and liberation, help you to find yourself and to move without restraint. Isn't elegance forgetting what one is wearing? What is wonderful about my art is that dream and reality can become one. There is just one step between the two. Finding your own style is not easy, but once found it brings complete happiness. It gives you self-confidence, always."

Yves Saint Laurent (as told to G. Y. Dryansky)

"When you put something on from Yves Saint Laurent's couture, there is an immediate sensual experience: everything, no matter what it's made of, is always lined in silk satin. That detail is emblematic of his total attitude toward women. He wants to spoil them, to envelop them in the pleasure of his clothes. He is also very protective."

Catherine Deneuve

"The body of Woman always triumphs, always wins, and I retreat behind her to avoid betraying the truth of my trade, my deepest truth, which is how much the reality of a woman's body humbles my ideas."

David Teboul, Yves Saint Laurent

Left to Right:

Evening Dress, 1975
Blouse, skirt and sash of silk chiffon printed in purples, white and green
Gift of Aileen Mehle, KSUM 1986.2.6abc

Evening Dress, about 1970
Plum chiffon with plum satin trimming
Gift of Joanne Toor Cummings, KSUM 1989.21.2

Evening Dress, about 1977
White silk crinkle organza
Silverman/Rodgers Collection, KSUM 1983.1.2098

Pierre Bergé on the Haute Couture

"In reality, a couture house resembles nothing so much as a beehive, with its workers, warriors, watchers, and artisans, whose only purpose is to hatch the precious eggs that, in our trade, are called collections. . . . In the beginning is the sketch. . . . That is what leads, what remains referent. Then there is the pattern, which allows assessment, interruption, continuity. Then, the fabric, which marks an essential stage, the stage of boldness and risk. Finally the model arrives, which takes its first tentative steps before joining the others, to form the collection. Although overcoming all these trials requires goodwill on everyone's part, this goodwill would be nothing without talent. . . . Everyone mobilizes their will, tightens their muscles toward a single end: the collection that will be shown at a certain hour on a certain day. Then all the fatigue and all the effort are forgotten. . . The garments have been received by the public, will live their lives, no longer belong to us."

David Teboul, Yves Saint Laurent

Left to Right:

Afternoon Ensemble, 1980
Jacket, skirt, blouse and belt of silk jacquard printed in red, blue and purple on a white ground
Silverman/Rodgers Collection, KSUM 1983.1.2105a-d

Cocktail Dress, 1980s
Warp-printed silk taffeta in white, purple, red, green and blue; matching brassiere
Gift of Aileen Mehle, KSUM 1994.84.2