Dresses and Suits
Individual garments that changed what people wore. The little black dress, the New Look, the wrap dress, the power suit, the bias cut and the mini, objects with a date and an author.
Part of Fashion
19 moments in this segment.
- - The Little Black Dress. October 1926. Vogue publishes a sketch of Chanel's minimal black crepe dress; calls it "Chanel's Ford" (after the universally-affordable Model T). The "little black dress" enters the fashion lexicon as the singular essential garment.
- - WWII Utility Clothing. 1941-1948. British Board of Trade introduces "Utility Clothing", fabric rationing, mandated styles, simplified construction. The opposite of glamour for seven years. Bottled-up demand for opulence sets the stage for Dior's 1947 explosion.
- - YSL Mondrian Dress. Yves Saint Laurent's autumn 1965 Mondrian collection, knee-length wool-jersey shift dresses with Piet Mondrian's red-blue-yellow grids. The most successful art-x-fashion collaboration to date; the Mondrian dress became the cover of Vogue, Life, Time.
- - The Miniskirt. Mary Quant's 1963 miniskirt, initially 6 inches above the knee, by 1967 8 inches. The youth-quake garment of the 1960s; the first time mainstream women's fashion was driven by teenagers, not couture houses.
- - Shift Dress. The shift dress, straight-cut, sleeveless, knee-length, was the 1960s' anti-fitted alternative to the New Look hourglass. Twiggy's 1966-67 magazine covers in shifts defined the silhouette.
- - Yves Saint Laurent - Le Smoking. 1966. YSL's "Le Smoking", the tuxedo suit for women. Helmut Newton's 1975 Yves Saint Laurent campaign photograph of it became one of the most iconic fashion images ever shot. Did more than any single garment for women's power dressing.
- - Mary Quant's Mini. 1963 onward. Mary Quant's mini-skirt, initially 6 inches above the knee, by 1967 8 inches. The youth-quake garment of the 1960s. Quant's daisy logo at her King's Road boutique became the visual signature of Swinging London. This photograph dates from 1969.
- - Disco Fashion. Halston's draped jersey gowns at Studio 54 (1977-1980). Bianca Jagger's red Halston, Liza Minnelli in sequins, the metallic jumpsuit, the platform shoe. Defined late-1970s nightlife glamour.
- - Studio 54. April 26, 1977 - February 4, 1980. Studio 54, NYC. Halston, Bianca Jagger on a white horse, Andy Warhol, Liza Minnelli. Where 1970s disco-glam wardrobe was photographed nightly. Closed in 1980 after the owners went to prison for tax evasion.
- - Armani Power Suit. Armani's 1980 unstructured shoulder + soft lapel. Brought menswear-inspired tailoring to women. The defining 1980s "power dressing" silhouette; Diane Keaton, Sigourney Weaver, Working Girl, Wall Street.
- - Alaïa Bandage Dress. Azzedine Alaïa's body-conscious knit "bandage dresses" of the 1980s. Worn by Naomi, Tina Turner, Grace Jones. The defining 1980s body-con silhouette before Hervé Léger commercialised it.
- - Jean Paul Gaultier - Sailor Stripes. 1989. Jean Paul Gaultier's breton-stripe Madonna corset (1990 Blond Ambition tour), the cone-bra corset becomes the defining pop-star fashion garment of the era. Gaultier becomes mainstream-fashion's court jester for two decades.
- - Gaultier Cone Bra. Same as above, Madonna's Blond Ambition cone-bra. Listed twice intentionally; the cone bra is significant enough to warrant its own scene.
- - Tom Ford's Velvet Gucci. Tom Ford's Gucci AW1995, emerald-green velvet hipsters, satin shirts, mohair coats. Saved a near-bankrupt house. Defined "sexy minimalism" for the late 1990s.
- - Azzedine Alaïa. Early 1980s. Tunisian-born Azzedine Alaïa's body-conscious knits. Dressed Naomi Campbell's breakthrough years (he was her surrogate father). Refused to do a runway show on the fashion calendar; the most-respected pure dressmaker of his era. The subject dates from 1980; this photograph was taken in 2011.
- - Courrèges Space-Age Collection. 1964. André Courrèges' "Moon Girl" collection, white go-go boots, A-line minis, helmet-like hats. The space-age futurist response to Saint Laurent's traditional couture. Designed the look of Stanley Kubrick's 2001. The subject dates from 1964; this photograph was taken in 2012.
- - Halston - American Minimalism. 1968. Roy Halston Frowick founds his label. Ultrasuede shirt-dresses, draped jersey gowns. Dresses Liza Minnelli, Bianca Jagger, Studio 54. The American minimalist counterweight to Parisian elaboration; commits the first major designer-brand-licensing disaster with JCPenney 1983. The subject dates from 1968; this photograph was taken in 2015.
- - Tom Ford Reinvents Gucci. 1995. Tom Ford's Gucci AW95, velvet hipsters, satin shirts, mohair coats. Saved a near-bankrupt house. Within five years Gucci is the world's second-most-valuable luxury brand. Defined "sexy minimalism" for the late 1990s. The subject dates from 1995; this photograph was taken in 2022.
- - Armani Power Suit. 1980. Giorgio Armani's unstructured jacket and his American Gigolo costumes for Richard Gere. Softens the male suit; brings menswear-inspired tailoring to women. The defining 1980s "power dressing" silhouette.
