KCIDigital Archives

The KCI Digital Archives on the KCI website presents image and text information for the objects in the collection, arranged in chronological order.

Dress "Trapeze"

© The Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Takashi Hatakeyama

You can enlarge by putting the mouse cursor on the image.

Dress "Trapeze"

Spring/Summer 1958

Designer
Yves Saint Laurent
Brand
Christian Dior
Label
none
Material
Gray wool tweed; bow-tie at neck.
Credit Line
Gift of the Estate of Tina Chow
Inventory Number(s)
AC7657 92-43-7

This dress, named the "Trapez," is one of the breakthrough works of the young Yves Saint-Laurent, who then worked for Christian Dior. The loose waist and the simple silhouette are remarkable features and probably the starting point toward the next stage known as the A-line. Highly sophisticated techniques of Haute Couture such as precisely calculated darts and ironing, realized this clear form.
This dress is one of the first collections introduced by the young Saint-Laurent, who took over Dior's fashion house after his sudden death. The minimalism in this work, eliminating any decorative factors including flashy colors, patterns and materials, is very interesting as a step towards the simple mini dress in the coming 1960s.

1950s