1960 – 1969

1960 – 1969

Yves Saint Laurent | Pierre Cardin | Courreges | Paco Rabanne

 

 

The 60’s was an evolving century for fashion, it has given us some of the most iconic piece and is still be used in new designs today. A youth dominated era that was all about originality, and gave us the space-age! Designers began to experiment a lot more using new shapes and synthetic fabrics, it was a generation which gave freedom to fashion and people began to buy disposable fashion buying new garments all the time rather than looking for investment pieces, however the designers kept up with the demand and created new pieces which are still being used in todays styles.

 

YSL (1936-2008)

In the words of the man closest to him ‘born with a nervous breakdown’

Even so he was probably the most influential fashion designer of the second half of the twentieth century, no?

I would say he was among the first couturiers that did not just stand around while his ideas were copied he got down to it and produced his own ready-to-wear boutique line. “I wanted to create a scandal” is what he said when posing nude for the picture to advertise his own men’s scent. Doing things like that allows the target market at that time to build a opinion of him as a person as well as his designers; when I first found out he had done that I automatically thought he really was down to earth and loved his work not just having someone else do everything for him and just put his name on it!

During the 60’s Saint Laurent brought such a range of iconic pieces which will for ever be remembered and re-used in fashion today and the future; The Mondrian (1965), with its bright blocks of colour; The pop-art (1966), inspired by Andy Warhol; The African (1967); The Safari (1968); The Marlene Dietrich inspired collection (1969), when he introduced the mini and the tuxedo.

YSL was recreating fashion week by week, when there was a bad week of shows, he would save it with a memorable show.

When Dior died in 1957 Saint Laurent took over the designer for the house of Dior in 1962, from then on he created an empire and continuously stunned people, how fortunate were those who first saw that Dior collection he designed, or the ones who wore the clothes?  He once said ‘Clothes must be at the service of women’ and that’s what he stuck by.

Pierre Cardin (1922-)

When asked to describe himself in one word, he answered, ‘As a sculptor’

Although what came to my head when reading that was that he would have replied with the word designer, however there is justice to his statement, his styled was titled as futuristic, as his designs have always had a sculptural quality agreed? He gave us the bubble dress; the cocoon coat, the trapezoidal cut; enormous circular collars and sharp edged asymmetric cuts using materials like vinyl and Perspex.

He once claimed, ‘success came because you were creative, now it is because you are commercial. I was both’

I agree with his claim, as he creates pieces that are like no other yet stay within the trends like collars we want them but we want them to be different not just plain and simple but with a exclusive something to make them stand out. Yes? No?

André Courrѐges (1923-)

Courrѐges created many key styles but always stuck to his word, ‘The clothes float. You don’t feel them. I don’t emphasise the waistline because he body is a whole. It is ridiculous to treat the top and the bottom parts of the body separately’ And that he stuck too. 1964 the year of Courrѐges, inspired by the space race & the first man in space, in 64’ he launched the ‘Space Age’ collection, which in my opinion became one of the most identifiable fashion stories of the decade, agreed?

Then came his unusually limber, active, athletic models wearing the clothes. Many of the outfits which were worn without bras and had midriffs cut-outs and bare backs, all accessorised with white boots, goggles and helmets all of which were astronaut inspired.

This iconic collection I feel has arisen again in today fashion, with many collections being designed with cut-outs on the hips, waist, back and thigh, who I feel can be worn and suit the female body not matter what shape you are which shows how Courrѐges not only influenced the cut-out but using the non-typical model has also continued with the style.

Paco Rabanne (1934-)

His career fist began with creating jewellery for Givenchy, Dior and Balenciaga. Once he was more educated and confident he started his own fashion house in 1966.

For me when buying new clothes and difference in fabric will catch my attention, and that how Rabanne became known when he started his own fashion house he choose to use unconventional materials such as metal, paper and plastics for his bizarre and loud designs.

When I think of the name Paco Rabanne what comes to my mind is fragrance, Rabanne has a perfume factory in France, which is a reason for his fragrances being so huge, his hit of range ‘1 million’ is the most advertised and successful fragrance in Spain, being Spanish himself is a great achievement.