Suit
Christian Dior adopted the use of traditional menswear fabrics for women's suits and dresses early in his design career. By 1951, masculine textiles like grey flannel and navy broadcloth had became a staple in Dior collections, yet the designs of the garments made from these fabrics always flattered the female form. When Yves Saint Laurent replaced Dior as the head designer for the house of Dior, he retained these signature menswear fabrics. In this example from 1959, however, it is possible to see a loosening of the ultra-fitted tailoring Dior used. Saint Laurent recognized the aesthetic of the 1950s would not carry into the 1960s and moved the house forward with slightly more relaxed versions of Dior classics like this.
Artwork Details
- Title: Suit
- Design House: House of Dior (French, founded 1946)
- Designer: Yves Saint Laurent (French (born Algeria) Oran 1936–2008 Paris)
- Date: spring/summer 1959
- Culture: French
- Medium: wool
- 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: 2009.300.360a, b
- 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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