Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

"L'Eléphant Blanc"

Design House House of Dior French
Designer Yves Saint Laurent French, born Algeria
Manufacturer Rébè
spring/summer 1958
Not on view
Creating the trapeze silhouette for Dior, Saint Laurent has a rigid understructure veiled under a fly-away cage. A boned corset anchors the dress but allows the delusion of a free swinging cone. Seeking a shape for independence, though still tethered, the "Eléphant Blanc" dress also employs a shimmering embroidery on net that requires a finishing flourish to the thread work on a transparent surface. Thus, in both surface decoration and in structure, Saint Laurent gained the effect of ethereal, bouyant freedom while retaining the structure of the couture. From the earliest works at the house of Dior through the designer's accomplishments in his own house, Saint Laurent has practiced and perfected this modernist wielding of couture construction and proficiency to seem wholly unfettered.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: "L'Eléphant Blanc"
  • Design House: House of Dior (French, founded 1946)
  • Designer: Yves Saint Laurent (French (born Algeria) Oran 1936–2008 Paris)
  • Manufacturer: Rébè
  • Date: spring/summer 1958
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: silk, metallic thread, glass, plastic
  • Credit Line: Gift of Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1977
  • Object Number: 1977.329.5a, b
  • Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

More Artwork

More Artwork
"Bar", House of Dior French, silk, French
"Bar"
Design House House of Dior
Designer Christian Dior
spring/summer 1947
Saint Peter's Seen From the Pincio, Rome, Henri-Joseph Harpignies French, Pen and black ink, brush, gray and blue-gray washes
Saint Peter's Seen From the Pincio, Rome
Henri-Joseph Harpignies
1856
Evening dress, silk, plastic, glass, French
Evening dress
French
1926
"Venus", House of Dior French, silk, sequins, rhinestones, simulated pearls, French
"Venus"
Couture Line House of Dior
Designer Christian Dior
fall/winter 1949–50 haute couture
Violin or Viola Bow, Brazilwood, other materials, French
Violin or Viola Bow
French
late 19th or early 20th century

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.