Coat and dress
1965
spring-summer 1965
Medium
linen, silk (organza, taffeta), plastic and metal (fastenings)
Measurements
(a) 95.0 cm (centre back) 48.0 (sleeve length) (coat)
(b) 98.0 c, (centre back) 36.5 (waist, flat) (dress)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of Krystyna Campbell-Pretty AM and Family through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gift Program, 2025
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
Yves Saint Laurent established his eponymous fashion house in 1961 after working for Christian Dior in the late 1950s. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Saint Laurent transformed contemporary fashion, reinventing menswear for women and introducing a full ready-to-wear line with his Rive Gauche boutique in 1966. Into the 1980s, Saint Laurent’s work celebrated the artisanship and imaginative possibilities of haute couture. This dress is from his spring–summer 1965 collection, a precursor to arguably his most famous collection, Mondrian. It exemplifies his move toward simplified silhouettes, marking a pivotal moment in his revolutionary approach to fashion.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
France
Inscription
(a) label, centre back neckline, woven in black on white synthetic fabric: MADE IN FRANCE / YVES SAINT LAURENT / PARIS
(b) label, centre back neckline, woven in black on white synthetic fabric: MADE IN FRANCE / YVES SAINT LAURENT / PARIS
Accession Number
2025.753.a-b
Department
International Fashion and Textiles