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With the invention of the birth control pill, fashion in this decade focused on sexual liberation of the woman. For the first time, women felt they had autonomy over their body, which changed they way they dressed. The first part of the decade held remnants of the ultra-conservative fashion of the '50s. These trends quickly went by the wayside in favor of miniskirts, go-go boots, and youthful silhouettes. With the global space race in full effect, the idea of space travel inspired much of the fashion trends. Clothing in this decade was about youth culture, revolution, empowerment, and boldness.

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The early part of the '60s was fairly conservative, as seen in Coco Chanel's iconic tweed suits. Jessa Krick of the Metropolitan Museum of Art writes that the Chanel suit was different from the suits of the '60s. Chanel's version had narrow shoulders, set-in sleeves, slim skirts, and collarless jackets trimmed in braid or fringe. The Chanel suit became a status symbol for women in the early '60s and was immortalized by Jackie Kennedy (Krick, Metropolitan Museum of Art).

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1961: Hubert de Givenchy's dress for Breakfast at Tiffany's

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1961: Hubert de Givenchy's dress for Breakfast at Tiffany's

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In 1961 Givenchy designed one of the most famous dresses in history for his long-time muse, Audrey Hepburn. Christie's auction house described the dress as "a sleeveless, floor-length gown with fitted bodice embellished at the back with distinctive cut-out décolleté, the skirt slightly gathered at the waist and slit to the thigh on one side, labelled inside on the waistband Givenchy; accompanied by a pair of black elbow-length gloves" ("Audrey Hepburn Breakfast at Tiffany's," Christie's). This gown was said to personify Parisian ultra-femininity while also hinting at the fading conservativeness of the early '60s (Moseley, 119).

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1964: The "Little White Dress" by André Courrèges

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1964: The "Little White Dress" by André Courrèges

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André Courrèges was one of the most influential designers in the 1960s French fashion world. He invented "archi-couture," short for "architecture-couture," referring to the structural aspects of his pieces. His designs shocked the haute-couture culture at the time that had long been used to overtly feminine designs (André Courrèges Sunglasses, FIDM Museum & Galleries). His clothing was worn by daring young clients liberalized by second-wave feminism (André Courrèges Sunglasses, FIDM Museum & Galleries). The trapeze dress, named for its trapezoidal shape, was flat, structured, and A-line. Using the trapeze dress shape, André Courrèges re-invented Chanel's "little black dress" into the "little white dress" of the '60s. The dress freed the hips, hid the female figure, and had the quintessential youthful playfulness of the '60s.

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Nancy Sinatra immortalized Courrèges's go-go boot in her 1966 hit single "These Boots were Made for Walkin'."

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André Courrèges's "Moon Girl" aesthetic

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André Courrèges's "Moon Girl" aesthetic

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It is widely debated whether London designer Mary Quant or French designer André Courrèges first invented the mini skirt, though it was likely developed simultaneously. Courrèges claimed that he invented the the mini skirt and accused Quant of only "commercialising" it (Steele, 51–64). The mini skirt was a symbol of youth and sexual liberation (Foreman, BBC). Here, André Courrèges (left) is shown with a model displaying his bold designs and famous mini skirt. Also shown here are his iconic bold sunglasses.

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Courrèges's iconic eyewear

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1965: Yves Saint Laurent's Mondrian Dress

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1965: Yves Saint Laurent's Mondrian Dress

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During this time,  Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) was struggling to remain relevant as designers (such as Courrèges) became more daring and as they pushed the boundaries of haute couture (Moss, AnOther).  YSL broke through his fashion doldrums with his 1965 autumn collection with six cocktail dresses inspired by Dutch painter Piet Mondrian's work. YSL combined fashion with art in a way that had never been seen before (Moss, AnOther). Instead of the design of the dress being printed on fabric, each block was constructed with a different fabric, with all the darts and seams hidden in the borders of shapes. The heaviness of the garment made the dress hang in a straight panel with little movement, enhancing the idea of wearing a painting.

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Over the next year, the Mondrian dress and its imitators flooded the fashion world. Jean Shrimpton, pictured here in a photo by Richard Avedon, wearing the Mondrian Dress, declared the design by the end of the year "boringly popular" (Moss, AnOther)

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1966: Yves Saint Laurent launches ready-to-wear boutiques

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1966: Yves Saint Laurent launches ready-to-wear boutiques

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In order to stay relevant, Yves Saint Laurent (pictured below) became the first couturier to open a ready-to-wear, or "prêt-à-porter," boutique in Paris's Left Bank (Moss, AnOther). This boutique, named Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, made his designs accessible to the general public. This business move was groundbreaking and remains the groundwork for how the fashion industry works (Moss, AnOther).

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In 1966 YSL turned women's fashion upside down by designing "le smoking," the first women's tuxedo. The design made the wearer appear "predatory, androgynous, and irresistibly elegant" (Bradbury, Independant). The look was meant to be bold evening wear, a rebellion against Chanel's "little black dress" (Shardlow, Business Insider). The look created such a stir that it was banned in many restaurants and hotels (Shardlow, Business Insider).  Le Smoking became the symbol of female power, social change, and sexual liberation. The look changed the way women felt about themselves. While crafting the suit in YSL's couture house, the sleeves were never pinned with the arm hanging down, but rather with the hand on the hip, a sign of confidence and power (Bradbury, Independant).

Le Smoking became such an icon in the YSL world that every collection since 1966 has promised to release a version of the female tuxedo.

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André Courrèges's 1964 collection was inspired by the global "Space Race" occuring at the time (Vernuccio, W Magazine). At the time, Vogue coined the term "Moon Girl" to represent the look displayed by the spring collection. Inspired by the idea of space travel, the futuristic collection featured leather, PVC, plastic in silver and white, and bold plastic accessories. This collection also featured a square-toed, white patent boot that had a low heel and came to about mid-calf. This boot was called the "Courrèges" boot until the term "go-go boot" caught on, derived from the French word la gogue, meaning "joy, happiness" (O'Hara, 79; Ritchie, Ecosalon).

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Catherine DeNeuve (pictured here with designer YSL), France's very feminine starlet and fashion icon, said the suit "really does make you feel different as a woman, it changes the gestures" (Bradbury, Independant).

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Yves Saint Laurent was often called the "Sun King" of fashion, an homage (as we know) to the fashionable, woman-worshipping King Louis XIV ("YSL––The Man Who Transformed Women, Newsweek). Pierre Bergé, YSL's mentor, once famously said of YSL, "If Chanel gave women their freedom, it was Saint Laurent who empowered them" (Hume, The Telegraph).

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“André Courrèges Sunglasses, 1965.” FIDM Museum & Galleries. 12 July 2013. http://blog.fidmmuseum.org/museum/2013/07/courr%C3%A8ges-space-age-sunglasses-1965.html

“Audrey Hepburn Breakfast at Tiffany’s, 1961.” Christie’s. https://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=4832498

Bradbury, Marina. “Vive ‘Le Smoking’: How YSL Invented the Female Tuxedo.” Independent. 5 October 2005. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/vive-le-smoking-how-ysl-invented-the-female-tuxedo-317473.html

Foreman, Katya. “The Shortened Garment Emerged in the 1960s as a Symbol of Rebellious Youth Culture—and Endures to this Day.” BBC. 21 October 2014. http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20140523-short-but-sweet-the-miniskirt

Krick, Jessa. “Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel and the House of Chanel”. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. October 2004. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/chnl/hd_chnl.htm

Moseley, Rachel. Growing Up with Audrey Hepburn: Text, Audience, Resonance. Manchester University Press, 2 January 2003.

Moss, Jack. “The Yves Saint Laurent Show Where Art and Fashion Collided.” AnOther. 1 February 2018. http://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/10534/the-yves-saint-laurent-show-where-art-and-fashion-collided

O’Hara, Georgina. The Encyclopaedia of Fashion. Harry N Abrams Inc, 1 October 1986.

Shardlow, Estella. “How Yves Saint Laurent Revolutionized Women’s Fashion By Popularizing “Le Smoking” Suit.” Business Insider, 8 Aug. 2011, http://www.businessinsider.com/ysls-greatest-fashion-hits-2011-8

Steele, Valerie. Fifty Years of Fashion: New Look to Now. Yale University Press, 11 August 2000.

Vernuccio, Ambra. “A History of Fashion’s Obsession with the Space Age, From Courrèges to Chanel.” W Magazine. 20 March 2017. https://www.wmagazine.com/story/space-age-style-history-courreges

“Yves Saint Laurent—The Man Who Transformed Women.” Newsweek. 2 July 2015. http://www.newsweek.com/yslyves-saint-laurentdesignerparisfashionchristian-diorle-602855