1950-74 Part 1

Hi Everyone!

Once again, I decided to break this section into three different parts for reading ease. Let's get down to business.

From Dior to YSL

Until his death in 1957, Christian Dior dominated the couture scene and his house actually became the largest in Paris with having over 1000 workers. After designing his "New Look", he designed a series of collections inspired by architectural and geometric shapes that were taken over by Yves Saint Laurent, Dior's assistant. After a few years of being the head of Dior house, Laurent decided to set up his own house called Yves Saint Laurent (YSL). He designed classics such as the trench coat, the safari suit, and le smoking, an evening trouser for women that was based off of a man's tuxedo. Laurent described his clothes as a, "form of protest" and earned the title of "the first modern couturier" by John Fairchild from Women's Wear Daily, WWD. However successful Dior and YSL's designs were, the number of couture houses fell dramatically and hits mall time low during this time. YSL, Courreges, Dior, and Givenchy all began to design ready-to-wear in cheaper ranges and really began to rely on their perfumes, hosiery, cosmetics, and accessories to keep them in business. Instead of the couture, the branding of these products became the foundation of the industry. Below are pictures to represent both Dior and YSL's designs during this time period.

Rene Gruau, Dress by Dior, L'Officiel de la couture et de la mode de Paris, March 1953.

Photograph of Dior's A-line suit, February 1955.

Rene Gruau, Dior's A-line suit, British Vogue, March 1955. (middle image).

Constance Wilbaut, "Mondrian" dress by Yves Saint Laurent, International Textiles, 1965

Influences on Fashion

During this time, television became one of fashion's biggest conduits to consumers, mostly teenagers of the postwar years who developed a lifestyle that was not dictated by older generations. Newly developing pop music was a huge factor in the fashions of teens and bands such as the Beatles and others encouraged a more rebellious lifestyle. Music brought along this subculture of rebellion which intro ducted a new aesthetic in styles. Another influence on fashion was the mainstream introduction of psychedelic drugs that caused a swirling effect of colors on the mind that translated itself into the clothes worn by those participating.All of the sudden, teens were wearing vibrant swirling colors, beads, tie-dye, bell-bottom trousers, vintage clothes mixed with ethnic elements became the new uniform for the kids of that time. It was a melting pot of mod, hippie, rocker, and military that dictated the world of teenagers and created a trend that represented their feelings towards the government and the world in general.

End of Part 1! Part 2 coming soon!