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Mariel Bourie
Dr. Leigh Harbin
EN 321-806
9 December 2017
How did Yves Saint Laurent’s work impact fashion in a lasting, world-wide way?
When you are picking out something to wear for a job interview, what do you typically
chose? The average man would most likely choose something along the lines of a suit, button-
down, tie, etc. The average woman would most likely go for a blazer, pair of work pants, or
something of that nature. For decades, the working man has typically worn things of that fashion
to work or at a work interview. However, for women, this was not the case. At one point in
time, a woman wearing a pants suit of any kind was not even thought of, nonetheless to be
accepted by society. That was until fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent broke into the industry.
He begged to question the idea that, why can’t women dress in the same nature as a man? Why
can’t a woman wear a suit in order to land a job in the workforce? In considering these ideas he
made it his mission to change this stigma and societal norm by which society was living by.
Yves Saint Laurent was a part of many different fashion houses prior to the beginning of
his own brand. He set out to bring in a unique way of design into the fashion industry which was
far different from other brands like Dior and Chanel, popular icons at the time. Not only this, but
YSL made it his mission to stand for something greater than just womenswear, we wanted his
designs to reflect his beliefs and morals. Throughout his life, he had to overcome many
obstacles with his own sexuality, his drug use, and his upbringing. All these factors helped
shape his creations and influence the way he designed. Yves Saint Laurent’s fashion powerhouse
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created a movement for gender and sexual freedom for women that had never existed before. His
influence was seen from the everyday wardrobe of women to high-fashion runways, with designs
that have sustained decades in the fashion industry.
Yves Saint Laurent was the first designer to introduce men’s suiting into women’s
fashion, eliminating the gender line and creating an androgynous woman who could feel free and
empowered. According to an article by Robin Givhan in the Washington Post (2008), YSL’s
designs unleashed during the 60s and 70s helped to emphasize the “hippie movement” of this
time. A period where women were liberated and strong, his clothing gave women the option to
dress in the way in which they were feeling. The freedom they felt in the way they dressed
contributed to empowering women to see themselves as equal to men, adding to the movement
of women’s rights (Givhan). From an article by Tavaana (2017), the 60s and 70s were a time
when the American Feminist movement took place. Women were fighting for salary inequality,
access to better jobs and anti-discrimination (Tavaana). With the introduction of women’s
suiting, YSL gave women the armor they needed to have access into the corporate workforce and
be taken seriously. The suit was a symbol for women, it represented equality and their capability
of doing “men’s work” to the same degree that men were. Corporate jobs, and entering the
workforce were not thought of to be acceptable for women. Working in fields like business and
technology, women now felt they could do because they had the power and confidence to take on
these jobs.
YSL played a huge role in shaping women’s gender and freedom in society through his
designs. He turned fashion into an art form and transformed womenswear into a new mold,
eliminating masculine and feminine lines with his designs for them to coexist within society. In
an article by Suzy Menkes from The New York Times (2008), he made the pantsuit, pea coat,
blazer, safari jacket and tuxedo for women all classic wardrobe staples that have sustained
centuries and are found amongst closets of every woman around the world. At the time,
designers such as Coco Chanel and Dior had made women’s wardrobe very feminine, pioneering
the little black dress and silhouettes with a nipped in hourglass waist. YSL came in with boxy,
more tailored silhouettes, the polar opposite of what was traditionally worn by women and
produced in most couture houses (Menkes). In an article by Estella Shardlow from The Business
Insider (2011), “Coco Chanel memorably designed loose trousers for women in the early 20th
century, while during the Second World War they were widely worn while taking on manual
labor in their husbands’ absence. However, Saint Laurent was the first high profile couturier—
the designer who had taken the reigns great House of Dior, no less—to promote this aesthetic for
high fashion evening wear and heightened the impact by offering not just trousers but a slick,
monochrome take on the classic tuxedo, usually worn to the most formal black-tie events.”
