Out of LondonParis and New York 1965–1968

Out of London, Paris and New York 1965–1968, sixties fashion, display

  • 'Cosmos', tunic and sweater, Pierre Cardin, 1967



    'Cosmos'
    Tunic and Sweater
    Pierre Cardin
    1967
    France
    Wool jersey and knitted wool
    Museum no. T.703-1974
    Given by M. Pierre Cardin
    © Victoria & Albert Museum, London

    Cardin's pioneering, futuristic clothes had a profound influence on 1960s fashion design. His menswear collection of 1960 included the collarless 'cylinder' jackets popularised by the Beatles' tailor Dougie Millings. The 'Cosmos' tunics, directly inspired by space travel, first appeared in 1965, complete with plastic visor, opaque tights and boots.

  • Dress, John Kloss, about 1966



    Dress
    John Kloss (1937-1987)
    about 1966
    New York, United States of America
    Cotton
    Lent by Marit Allen
    © Victoria & Albert Museum, London

    New York designer John Kloss shared his friend Ossie Clark's interest in the optical and graphic effects of colour and pattern, but he also drew much inspiration from contemporary abstract painting. When Saint Laurent's 'Mondrian' collection appeared in 1965, the New York Times claimed that Kloss had achieved the same effect two years previously.

  • Dress, Paco Rabanne, 1967



    Dress
    Paco Rabanne
    1967
    Paris, France
    Plastic and metal
    Museum no. T.165-1983; T.163&A-1983
    Worn and given by Baroness Helen Bachofen von Echt
    © Victoria & Albert Museum, London

    Paco Rabanne led the field of radical experimentation in elite fashion design. Using techniques borrowed from jewellery, he created sculptural dresses in unconventional materials, which inspired inferior copies in London. Baroness Helen Bachofen von Echt wore this dress to a party in New York where she danced with Frank Sinatra.

  • Dress, Yves Saint Laurent, 1965



    Dress
    Yves Saint Laurent (1936 - 2008)
    1965
    Paris, France
    Silk crepe
    Museum no. T.369-1974
    Given by M. Yves Saint Laurent
    © Victoria & Albert Museum, London

    Saint Laurent used Dutch artist Piet Mondrian's abstract grid paintings to create a series of simple shift dresses that have become icons of 1960s style. They were immediately copied in man-made fabrics such as Bri-nylon. In 1966, in a shrewd business move, Yves Saint Laurent opened his first Rive Gauche boutique selling cheaper 'prêt-à-porter' clothes to a wider market.