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.

Pantsuit "City Pants" [Left] Safari Suit [Right]

© The Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Takashi Hatakeyama

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Pantsuit "City Pants" [Left]
Safari Suit [Right]

Autumn/Winter 1967 [Left]
Spring/Summer 1968 [Right]

Designer
Yves Saint Laurent [Left]
Yves Saint Laurent [Right]
Brand
Yves Saint Laurent [Left]
Yves Saint Laurent [Right]
Label
None [Left]
SAINT LAURENT rive gauche PARIS [Right]
Material
Charcoal-grey wool jersey jacket with belt and trousers; patch pockets with flap. [Left]
Beige cotton gabardine jacket with front-lacing; patch pocket with flap and pants. [Right]
Credit Line
Gift of Ms. Shoko Hisada [Left]
Inventory Number(s)
AC6600 90-00-1AC [Left]
AC9753 98-47AC [Right]

The May 1968 protests in Paris had a dramatic effect on the values of French society at the time. Yves Saint Laurent used this social movement as his pretext to push on ahead with the Pant Suit for women, something that had been taboo till that moment. Saint Laurent’s caliber as a designer is evident in this new look, which, while "unisex," remained ultimately feminine. The garment on the left, Saint Laurent’s ‘city pants,’ was acclaimed for representing the same functionality as a man’s suit. The safari suit on the right is from the designer’s 1968 Spring Summer collection, the theme of which was "Africa", and in which Saint Laurent reinvented the functional hunting suit and turned it women’s town wear.

1960s