R E S E A R CH P A P E R
K E Y P O I N T S
- Takes place in 1964 Paris for his spring collection.
- Dress is made of humble material white cotton.
- “Functional comfort can be a way to create style and distinction.”
- In Europe, the history of the white wedding dress began in 1840, when Queen Victoria set the tradition by wearing a white lace gown when she married Prince Albert. This was not the custom at her time, since women previously just wore their best dresses when they married.
- White as a symbol of wealth/status (difficult to be kept clean), and innocence/purity.
- Appointed creative director of Dior when he passed away. In 1962, YSL established his own house with Pierre Bergé.
- Long tress trimmed with, and shoes topped with flowers. Flowers are a very Christian Dior trait, showing YSL’s earlier influences.
- Loves movement – model is walking
- Not curvy – designer’s appreciation of more traditionally masculine features on women.
- Blurred line between sexes with his “Le smoking” suit.
- Created timeless pieces, dress is also timeless.
- Saint Laurent was the first big designer to use mannequins originating outside of Europe. In the analyzed photo, the model, with long black hair, is of non-European decent, showing the designer’s acceptance of untraditional models.
- Saint Laurent believed that women’s fashion is no longer “performing the old function of pleasing a man…but to reconstruct a basic social relation of seduction.”
- The woman dresses for herself – not for the sake of being fashionable, but for self-expression.
- Last 20 years – wedding dress became controversial in terms of same-sex marriage since it is inconsiderate of gay couples.
- Yves Saint Laurent designed a wedding dress for the strong, independent woman who defies gender restrictions while also preserving the tradition of the white wedding dress.
