Yves Saint Laurent and Halston at FIT: a masterpiece for the ages

The 1970’s saw two kings of the fashion industry who will forever be remembered as the men who fashioned the 70s. While they were both so different, in many ways they were still so similar. One was an Algerian born Frenchman who worked under the legendary Christian Dior in his youth. The other was a man born in middle America, is Des Moines, Iowa to be specific, who fell in love with sewing thanks to his seamstress mother. These two men are more commonly known to the public as the incomparable Yves Saint Laurent and the iconic Roy Holston Frowick.

These masters of couture were featured in an exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) called "Fashioning the 70s", as the 70s were when they created some of their best and most jaw dropping looks, including Yves Saint Laurent’s memorable “African” dress, and Halston’s red floor length caftan. Halston managed to rule the American couture market, and it was all thanks to his use of subtlety that was seen in many of his 70s collections. He always managed to have a knack for details too, which was seen with his use of details like matching capes paired with dresses, like he did for Bergdorf Goodman in the late 60s, a look that was one of the first pieces featured.

Yves Saint Laurent was all about historical pastiche, as viewers of the exhibit could learn from a sign detailing the aesthetic choices of both Saint Laurent and Halston. Even without the details at hand, visually it was clear where Saint Laurent drew his inspiration from with ensembles that showed Saint Laurent was obsessed with the French literary artistic and literary tradition of orientalism, which was where his use of the “exotic” came into play. Saint Laurent used “exoticism” in the 70s to try and challenge the traditional evening gown, which is how a collection of looks inspired by East Asian culture came about, several pieces from which were also featured at the exhibit.

The exhibit also showed us how Halston and Saint Laurent were credited with inspiring social change as well. Both designers had no shame in putting women in pants, as feminism was on the rise and more women were entering the workplace. Both designers were also famous for their highly technical and sophisticated construction of garments, with Halston known for employing methods made famous by couturiers the likes of Madame Grés, and Saint Laurent known for the “exoticism” informing many of his collections, such as his “Ballett Russes” and “Opium” couture collections, several pieces of which were also on display.

This fabulous exhibit weren’t just old runway favorites from fashion shows and magazine spreads either. Many of these gowns were one by celebrities who loved these two designers, as well as some of their muses, including Lauren Bacall, Marina Schiano, Mary Russell, and Tina Chow. It may be going on 40 years since these two graced the fashion industry with their impeccable designs, but if there is one thing this exhibit reminded us of it’s that these might be gone, but they are certainly not forgotten.

Halston’s approach to minimalism and obsession with materials like cashmere and suede are still inspiration for so many American collections today. If it weren’t for Halston cashmere may have even reached the level of luxury material status it did in America. As for Saint Laurent, his fashion house has been handed over to Hedi Slimane who reinvented Saint Laurent to be sexier, edgier, and even renamed the fashion house Saint Laurent Paris, to reflect a new era of Saint Laurent, but all the sophistication and even renamed the ready-to-wear line Saint Laurent Paris. The accessories and fragrances still retain the Yves Saint Laurent name, and the air of sophistication Saint Laurent left to his fashion house is still there, despite Slimane’s edgier direction.

In an interview with The Daily Beast, the curators of the FIT exhibit said, “Everything is an ode to Saint Laurent, the colors of 70s, or referencing Halston.” That might be true now more than ever with many reviews of fashion shows and articles on the websites for top fashion magazines like Details stating how the 70s and 80s are making a comeback by the looks of the most recent runways. The exhibit will be running at FIT’s museum from February 6th, 2015 to April 18th, 2015, and everyone should do their best to attend this fabulously assembled exhibit.