Throughout the
1960s and forward, fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent revolutionized the
fashion world by challenging its conventions and limitations. In all of his
work, Saint Laurent aspired to design the wardrobe of the modern woman. In
doing so, the designer created stylized variations of traditional work clothes,
“propelling them into the sphere of hate couture and ready-to-wear.” This idea
and goal of creating the wardrobe of the modern woman had always been at the
heart of Saint Laurent’s work.
This driving
motivation began when the designer noticed that a traditional men’s wardrobe
consisted of basic shapes and pieces that could be worn to “project his own
personality and his own dignity.” Seeing that this was the case for men, he
noted: “I’ve always wanted to give women the protection of that sort of basic
wardrobe – protection from ridicule, freedom to be themselves. It pains me
physically to see a woman victimized, rendered pathetic, by fashion.”
Over the course
of his career, Yves Saint Laurent innovated the luxury fashion system with the
goal of making luxurious, glamorous clothing increasingly accessible to women
of all walks of life. In addition, by designing women’s garments typically
associated with the male wardrobe such as the tuxedo, suit, and safari jacket, the
designer liberated the modern woman’s wardrobe.
