
© The Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Takashi Hatakeyama
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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.