McQueen and YSL: The Bold and the Brilliant
In honor of the recent release of the documentary McQueen about the notorious Lee Alexander McQueen, we discuss similarities between his work and that of Yves Saint Laurent, as well as the unique details utilized by each designer. Although both have left the world, their impact and influence will never be forgotten.
To begin, Yves Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen both took tailoring, traditionally associated with menswear, and uniquely executed these techniques in items for a woman’s wardrobe. Saint Laurent’s “le smoking” was sexy for the idea of a woman putting on a man’s suit, and essentially perhaps wearing it better than him. Some examples of Saint Laurent’s tailoring, as noted by Pamela Golbin in Fashion Designers, feature feminine details. In the examples below, as noted by the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Saint Laurent made use of Alencon lace or a bold fuchsia colored fabrication, giving the look a more feminine feel . According to Who What Wear’s Nicole Kliest, Saint Laurent’s decision to introduce a suit for the female body was bold considering that, “In 1966... the perception of women wearing pants was considered off-kilter and inappropriate….” According to Robin Givhan, in the book Battle of Versailles, at a time when him and others challenged ideas of the conventional women’s wardrobe, France was still enforcing a law banning pants from being adorned by women. Over the years the brand consistently experiments with more adaptations of this look, making it a hallmark of the brand, as established in the Fashion Designer Directory by Marnie Fogg.
Saint Laurent, Yves. Suit. 1982, France, Medium: black satin, black silk faille, black wool, and ivory silk crepe. The Museum at FIT- Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, The Museum at FIT Collections, The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Saint Laurent, Yves. Suit (alternative skirt). 1982, France, Medium: black satin, black silk faille, black wool, and ivory silk crepe. The Museum at FIT- Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, The Museum at FIT Collections, The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Saint Laurent, Yves. Suit. Fall 1990, France, Medium: Alencon lace and black wool, The Museum at FIT- Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, The Museum at FIT Collections, The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Saint Laurent, Yves for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche. Suit. Fall 1988, France, Medium: Red, Black, and Fuchsia Satin, The Museum at FIT- Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, The Museum at FIT Collections, The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Like Saint Laurent, in the examples of McQueen, a few decades later, his silhouettes and design details make one forget that these techniques are usually ones that are associated with formal menswear attire. McQueen’s suits and tailored looks feature a distinctly feminine, at times corseted, hourglass silhouettes and historical references, as detailed and exemplified in The Berg Companion to Fashion, McQueen of Scots and The Legacy of Alexander McQueen. Like Saint Laurent, his ideas utilized aspects from men’s attire, as exemplified in this bodice example, from the Autumn/Winter 1999 collection he designed for Givenchy (See video below at about 9 minutes and 34 seconds on the time clock). As exemplified and described in The Legacy of Alexander McQueen and as described by the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s description accompanying the Bronze cuirass (body armor), garments with features such as a sculpted bodice, seen here (at 9 mins and 34 secs), are reminiscent of ancient armor from the Greek and Roman cultures, demonstrating his experimentation with the female form.
Unknown Artist. Bronze cuirass (body armor), 4th Century B.C. (Classical Period/ Greece), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/256134, Accessed 31 July, 2018.
While the bodice highlights the female form, its similarity to the cuirass leads to the garment having the ability of giving a woman a powerful appearance, full of strength and capability. The bodice also can bring to mind imagery of portrayals of Wonder Woman from the past and present. In the example below, from the Museum at FIT, McQueen created a tailored dress, reminiscent of a suit jacket, for Givenchy, featuring a subtle hourglass shape, round shoulders, golden embroidered detailing, and unique combined collar and lapel.
McQueen, Alexander for Givenchy. Evening Dress. Fall 1997, France, Medium: Silk satin, metallic embroidery, and black wool, The Museum at FIT- Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, The Museum at FIT Collections, The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
McQueen, Alexander. Dress, Spring 2010, England, Medium: Chiffon and Silk satin that is printed utilizing numerous colors, The Museum at FIT- Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, The Museum at FIT Collections, The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Both designers were also not afraid to push through the limitations implemented by what was considered respectable “taste” at that time. Saint Laurent and McQueen were not afraid to explore aspects and expressions of one’s sexuality, as exemplified and detailed in McQueen of Scots, The Legacy of Alexander McQueen, and Fashion Designers. Showing scandalous amounts of skin was part of both of their repertoires. McQueen’s ‘“Bumster”’ pants were one element of his more daring looks, as observed in the video “ALEXANDER MCQUEEN MADE MODELS DO WHAT?!? (Top 10 McQueen Shows to Know Part 1),” by Haute Le Mode, which hung scandalously low on the body. Sheer blouses and bodices of dresses by Saint Laurent, seen in his 1968-1969 Autumn/Winter Collection, pictured in the book Fashion Designers by Pamela Golbin, were similarly shocking. Saint Laurent’s comfortability with explorations of sexuality, is evident in the drawings he drew during his teens, as observed in The Drawings of Yves Saint Laurent.
However, these designers not only dared to display skin, they also were bold in other regards. In McQueen’s work, he went beyond the visual experience of clothing, and added further meaning to his designs. As established by McQueen, in the upcoming documentary of the same name, his shows were designed to trigger emotions and really get one thinking about their meanings. McQueen once stated, as featured in the trailer for McQueen, “I don’t want to do the show feeling like you’ve just had Sunday brunch. I want you to feel repulsed or exhilarated.” He work may have implemented a lot of shock tactics, like the ones seen in his ‘“Highland Rape”’ collection, but they were never merely disruptive, as detailed and observed in McQueen of Scots and The Legacy of Alexander McQueen. Even his most condemned shows, had broader messages that were relayed with the help of these methods.
In Yves Saint Laurent’s work, he dared to reference the attire from a difficult time in France’s history, when the country was occupied by Nazis, as the stimulus for his ‘“Libération”’ collection, as detailed by Laura Bonnet for Paris Vogue. The collection pushed the boundaries of political correctness and appropriateness. Ultimately, neither of these designers were afraid to take on challenging and controversial subjects. Like McQueen, Saint Laurent expressed similar motivations for incorporating shocking elements in his work. According to Bonnet, Saint Laurent once stated, “What do I want to do? Shock people and force them to think.”
McQueen and Saint Laurent are cemented in fashion history, because they dared to be unconventional. The risks that they took in their works ultimately led to them being memorable. However, underneath bold actions lay another key to their success….skill. As detailed in The Berg Companion To Fashion, by Caroline Evans, McQueen studied tailoring at Savile Row. Saint Laurent perfected his skill set by studying haute couture and worked alongside the greats such as Christian Dior. as established by Golbin in The Berg Companion To Fashion. Saint Laurent started penning down design ideas from a very early age, not waiting for adulthood to embark on his desired career path, as established in The Drawings of Yves Saint Laurent. McQueen was highly attentive to history and his ancestry, as detailed in McQueen of Scots and The Legacy of Alexander McQueen, which impacted his work, giving it rich layers keeping it from being merely aesthetics. Though both designers have passed, their work will forever maintain significance in fashion’s storied history.
Works Consulted and For More Information:
“ALEXANDER MCQUEEN MADE MODELS DO WHAT?!? (Top 10 McQueen Shows to Know Part 1), YouTube, uploaded by Haute Le Mode, 18 July, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMAqcOBEIGM&t=237s, Accessed 31 July, 2018.
“Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty-Gallery Views 2011.” YouTube, uploaded by The Met, 10 May 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg0HwLAJyV0, Accessed 31 July, 2018.
“Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty.” YouTube, uploaded by Victoria and Albert Museum, 30 Sept. 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bZcwpgrJ-k&t=490s, Accessed 31 July, 2018.
“Inside Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty- British Vogue.” YouTube, Uploaded by British Vogue, 12 Mar. 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8TzBItATow, Accessed 31 July, 2018.
“MCQUEEN - Official Trailer,” YouTube, Uploaded by Bleecker Street, 31 May, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OjX3ZbsfbU, Accessed 31 July, 2018.
“McQueen Givenchy A/W 1999- Pret-a-Porter,” YouTube, uploaded by Scroobily (From the Fashion Channel), 10 Aug. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSvnBTd4Ki8&t=76s , Accessed 31 July, 2018.
“Evolution of the WONDER WOMAN Suit,” YouTube, uploaded by Flashback FilmMaking, 19 Jun. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kciGT_Atp4. Accessed 31 July, 2018.
“Superheroes of Fashion- New York Post,” YouTube, uploaded by New York Post, 5 May, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnYmhGZIzdg , Accessed 31 July, 2018.
Bonnet, Laura. “Yves Saint Laurent’s scandalous 1971 collection comes to the Fondation Pierre Bergé.” Translated by Lowri Evans, Paris Vogue, Condé Nast., 4 Feb. 2015, https://en.vogue.fr/fashion/fashion-news/diaporama/yves-saint-laurents-scandalous-1971-collection-comes-to-the-fondation-pierre-berg/18928, Accessed 31 July, 2018.
Fogg, Marnie. Fashion Design Directory. New York: Firefly Books: 2011. Print. (*This book has a foreword by Jonathan Saunders, but it was not used for my research purposes for this post).
Givhan, Robin. Battle of Versailles. New York: Flatiron Books, 2015. Print.
Golbin, Pamela. Fashion Designers. New York: Watson-Guptill, 2001. Print.
Kliest, Nicole. “5 Facts You Never Knew About YSL’s Le Smoking Suit.” Who What Wear, Clique Brands Inc., 24 Nov. 2015.https://www.whowhatwear.com/yves-saint-laurent-le-smoking-suit, Accessed 23 July, 2018.
Price Alford, Holly and Anne Stegemeyer. Who’s Who in Fashion. 6th ed., Fairchild Books/ Bloomsbury: 2014. Print.
Golbin, Pamela, “Saint Laurent, Yves.” The Berg Companion To Fashion, edited by Valerie Steele, Berg, 2010, 607-611.
Evans, Caroline, “McQueen, Alexander.” The Berg Companion To Fashion, edited by Valerie Steele, Berg, 2010, 505-507.
Biography.com Editors, “Yves Saint Laurent Biography.” Biography, A&E Television Networks, 2 Apr. 2014. https://www.biography.com/people/yves-saint-laurent-9469669, Accessed 23 July, 2018.
Met Museum Editors, “Bronze cuirass (body armor).” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, n.d. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/256134. Accessed 23, July 2018.
Unknown Artist. Bronze cuirass (body armor), 4th Century B.C. (Classical Period/ Greece), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/256134, Accessed 31 July, 2018.
The Legacy of Alexander McQueen. Made to Measure (M2M.tv), uploaded by Made to Measure (M2M), n.d., https://m2m.tv/watch/the-legacy-of-alexander-mcqueen/films, Accessed 23, July 2018. (Prod. Bangumi and Deralf/ Dir. Loic Prigent/ ARTE G.E.I.E./ 2015).
William Moulton Marston and Stanley Ralph Ross, creators. Wonder Woman. Bruce Lansbury Productions, Douglas S. Cramer Company, and Warner Bros, 1975-1979.
Wonder Woman. Directed by Patty Jenkins, Performances by Gal Gadot and Chris Pine, Warners Bros., 2017.
**McQueen of Scots. Directed by Tony Kearney, performances by Cathy Macdonald, Tony Kearney, and Janet McQueen, Janson Media, 2014.
**The Drawings of Yves Saint Laurent. Directed by Lȍic Prigent, performances by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, Janson Media and Bangumi Deralf, 2017.
**Watch with Amazon Prime
McQueen, Alexander. Dress, Spring 2010, The Museum at FIT- Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, The Museum at FIT Collections, The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. http://fashionmuseum.fitnyc.edu/view/objects/asitem/People$00401096/2?t:state:flow=7f994da0-d736-41fe-ab6a-061748cc1a26, Accessed 31 July, 2018.
The Museum at FIT- Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, New York, “ Dress” by Alexander McQueen, Spring 2010, England, Medium: Chiffon and Silk satin that is printed utilizing numerous colors. http://fashionmuseum.fitnyc.edu/view/objects/asitem/People$00401096/2?t:state:flow=7f994da0-d736-41fe-ab6a-061748cc1a26
McQueen, Alexander for Givenchy. Evening Dress. Fall 1997, The Museum at FIT- Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, The Museum at FIT Collections, The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, http://fashionmuseum.fitnyc.edu/view/objects/asitem/search$0040/0/dynasty-desc?t:state:flow=e4451def-a8dc-474e-a12f-0d8872d05059, Accessed 23 July, 2018.
The Museum at FIT- Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, New York, “Evening Dress” by Alexander McQueen for Givenchy, Fall 1997, France, Medium: Silk satin, metallic embroidery, and black wool. http://fashionmuseum.fitnyc.edu/view/objects/asitem/search$0040/0/dynasty-desc?t:state:flow=e4451def-a8dc-474e-a12f-0d8872d05059
Saint Laurent, Yves. Suit. 1982. The Museum at FIT- Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, The Museum at FIT Collections, The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, http://fashionmuseum.fitnyc.edu/view/objects/asitem/search$0040/2/dynasty-desc?t:state:flow=15b4c232-5528-4ba0-935b-629d6c0a2b12
The Museum at FIT- Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, New York, “Suit” by Yves Saint Laurent, 1982, France, Medium: black satin, black silk faille, black wool, and ivory silk crepe. http://fashionmuseum.fitnyc.edu/view/objects/asitem/search$0040/2/dynasty-desc?t:state:flow=15b4c232-5528-4ba0-935b-629d6c0a2b12
Saint Laurent, Yves. Suit (alternative skirt). 1982. The Museum at FIT- Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, The Museum at FIT Collections, The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, http://fashionmuseum.fitnyc.edu/view/objects/asitem/search$0040/2/dynasty-desc?t:state:flow=15b4c232-5528-4ba0-935b-629d6c0a2b12
The Museum at FIT- Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, New York, “Suit (alternative skirt)” by Yves Saint Laurent, 1982, France, Medium: black satin, black silk faille, black wool, and ivory silk crepe. http://fashionmuseum.fitnyc.edu/view/objects/asitem/search$0040/2/dynasty-desc?t:state:flow=15b4c232-5528-4ba0-935b-629d6c0a2b12
http://fashionmuseum.fitnyc.edu/media/view/Objects/4272/41676?t:state:flow=0ee3380f-b76d-4983-a9e3-ce14e182b6e4
Saint Laurent, Yves for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche. Suit. Fall 1988, The Museum at FIT- Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, The Museum at FIT Collections, The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, http://fashionmuseum.fitnyc.edu/view/objects/asitem/search$0040/6/dynasty-desc?t:state:flow=5d6f1e84-c5f6-49e6-807a-e156df5476ff
The Museum at FIT- Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, New York, “Suit” by Yves Saint Laurent for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Fall 1988, France, Medium: Red, Black, and Fuchsia Satin. http://fashionmuseum.fitnyc.edu/view/objects/asitem/search$0040/6/dynasty-desc?t:state:flow=5d6f1e84-c5f6-49e6-807a-e156df5476ff
Saint Laurent, Yves. Suit. Fall 1990. The Museum at FIT- Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, The Museum at FIT Collections, The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, http://fashionmuseum.fitnyc.edu/view/objects/asitem/search$0040/7/dynasty-desc?t:state:flow=806a75b1-9335-41a9-9a40-f96daa0e2754
The Museum at FIT- Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, New York, “Suit” by Yves Saint Laurent, Fall 1990, France, Medium: Alencon lace and black wool. http://fashionmuseum.fitnyc.edu/view/objects/asitem/search$0040/7/dynasty-desc?t:state:flow=806a75b1-9335-41a9-9a40-f96daa0e2754
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