"Chicago"

Couture Line House of Dior French

Designer Yves Saint Laurent French, born Algeria

Design House House of Dior French

fall/winter 1960–61

Not on view

In the 1960s, the rise of youth-driven fashion challenged the relevance of the haute couture and its role in originating designs. Yves Saint Laurent’s final collection for Dior in 1960 drew upon beatnik and other nonconformist styles, reinterpreting them with couture materials and techniques.

His iconic “Chicago” jacket, for example, which clearly references motorcycle jackets, uses black crocodile trimmed with mink. While the collection proved too avant-garde for a conservative couture clientele, its elegant adaptation of street style presaged fashion’s future.

Saint Laurent founded his own couture house in 1961 and remained committed to preserving the artistry of the couture tradition, but he saw ready-to-wear as equally vital to the industry and used his pioneering Rive Gauche line as an opportunity for greater creative freedom.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Exhibition History

Title: "Chicago"
Couture Line: House of Dior (French, founded 1946)
Designer: Yves Saint Laurent (French (born Algeria) Oran 1936–2008 Paris)
Design House: House of Dior (French, founded 1946)
Date: fall/winter 1960–61
Culture: French
Medium: crocodile, mink, silk
Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2014
Object Number: 2014.601
Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

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