The premature death of Monsieur Dior made Saint Laurent the ‘spiritual heir’ not only of a fashion house – YSL was at the artistic director of the maison for two years afterwards – but of an attitude, and of a certain idea of fashion that is relevant still today.

Jan 6, 2024 · In the glamorous realm of haute couture, the names Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent stand as pillars of influence. While they may not have shared a mentor relationship in the conventional sense, the connection between these two …

Yves Saint Laurent would spend two years working alongside Christian Dior, learning the secrets of haute couture from the master himself. Collections comprised of some two hundred designs would emerge from sketches, toiles, and fittings.

Read the Story dedicated to Yves Saint Laurent's first steps at Christian Dior. The Dior Years Learn more

In 1955, aged only 19, Yves Saint Laurent was named assistant to Christian Dior. Following the sudden passing of the founding couturier in October 1957, he became the Creative Director of the House. His emblematic first collection, Trapèze, freed the body and instilled a spirit of emancipation, encapsulating the youth of the 1960s.

Jan 16, 2025 · At the Maison’s 10th anniversary in July 1957, Christian Dior confessed to Time magazine that from 180 designs in his last collection, 34 belonged to Yves Saint Laurent. When his mother visited him in Paris in 1957, Christian Dior confided that Saint Laurent would be the one to succeed him. It happened sooner than expected.

Jul 8, 2021 · Saint Laurent had created an adaptable dress style and successfully thrown the Paris fashion scene something new and delightful. By establishing a new silhouette for Dior, Saint Laurent was employing a tactic used by Christian Dior himself. In his book Yves Saint Laurent: Style (2008), Pierre Bergé and Hamish Bowles explain:

Sep 5, 2023 · Yves Saint Laurent began a career at Christian Dior in 1955, when he was 19 years old. Two years later, Dior met with Saint Laurent's mother to tell her he would be his successor...

On June 20, 1955, Saint Laurent met Dior, who was also impressed by his talent and immediately hired him as his assistant. One of Saint Laurent’s first dresses for Dior was immortalized by Richard Avedon in the famous photograph “Dovima with Elephants,” taken at the Cirque d’Hiver.

3 days ago · The accomplished spring 2025 show — one of Chiuri’s best in seasons — drew from the key silhouettes of Dior’s iconic past designers, such as Yves Saint Laurent, and infusing them with her distinct contemporary vision. The memory of fashion. The show was a commentary on how fashion serves as a lens for understanding time.