“Exhibitionism” at FIT was a stunning experience and a privilege to be able to witness the archive of such an esteemed institution. What caught my eye throughout the entire exhibition was definitely the bright yellow piece from the Paris refashioned section; it was a midi length rain coat from Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche made in 1966. This was outstandingly special to me because of how modern it looked knowing that it was made in the 60’s. The use of vinyl in contrast with knit was not a conventional way of presentation during that time; the 21-year old designer then definitely used color and texture to create stand out pieces. Apparently, the purpose of creating this exhibition was to highlight and remind people of the importance of Paris during the period between 1957-1968 when London began taking over with youthful designs compared to Paris. Appointing Yves Saint Laurent as head designer of Christian Dior in 1957 saved the couture house and brought youth back to the brand. I think the use of a bright yellow was regarded unconventional during that time, especially for a house such as Dior, previously known for the infamous creations of the new look; the incorporation of yellow and vinyl as well as knit definitely brings Dior out of the box of ultra feminine. However, I think we also owe this change to social demographic transformations as well, as Kaiser said “gender …. “softly assembled” in a complex articulation of the body, time, psychology, and cultural space. ” This to me suggests the synonymous transformation between fashion and gender and that fashion caters to how the social environment transforms the lines of what is considered masculine and feminine. In this way, gender has a powerful role in defining what is in and out of style during that time. I think the curators included this piece in the exhibition to mark a pinpoint in fashion history where traditional boundaries were broken and it also marked a historical movement in fashion where Yves Saint Laurent rose to well deserved recognition. Also, this piece was needed to remind the world the immense amount of talent that exists within the pool of Paris.
