Le Smoking

1964–1969

The Ralph Lauren Autumn/Winter 2017 collection had an overall androgynous look with women strutting down the catwalk in powerful suits alongside racecars. This sparked the racing theme throughout with bright red and yellow patent leathers mixed in with classic black, houndstooth, and Prince of Wales check prints. Instead of presenting a black, tailored, slim-fitting suit, Lauren twisted the traditional tuxedo and slouched the pants and created an oversized shoulder look. The dress shirts were either unbuttoned, exposing skin or buttoned all the way up and styled with a bowtie for a classic tuxedo evening look.

Lauren’s designs take inspiration from Yves Saint Laurent’s Le Smoking ensemble which debuted in 1966. Dressing a lady in a man’s uniform was daring for the 60s, and today, Lauren utilizes YSL’s designs in his collections creating the perfect masculine yet sexy suit for women. In the 2017 collection, Lauren contrasts YSL’s designs by elongating the tuxedo jacket, emphasizing the shoulders, adding edgy materials, textures, and accessories like a belt chain, and using bright colors like fire red for the jacket.

The styling of Ralph Lauren’s pieces is what differentiates the two designers, but the overall idea is what they share. YSL challenged gender stereotypes through fashion and Ralph Lauren continues and reimagines this iconic fashion.

Works Cited

Lauren, Ralph. Autumn/Winter 2017 (Look 39). Sept. 2017. WGSN Catwalk Gallery. WGSN. Web. 27 Jul. 2019. https://www.wgsn.com/catwalk_gallery/#gender=2&season=0&city=0&show=41461.

Lauren, Ralph. Autumn/Winter 2017 (Look 46). Sept. 2017. WGSN Catwalk Gallery. WGSN. Web. 27 Jul. 2019. https://www.wgsn.com/catwalk_gallery/#gender=2&season=0&city=0&show=41461.

Laurent, Yves Saint. Pantsuit, Spring/Summer 1970. The Met Collection. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Web. 27 Jul. 2019. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/83242?&searchField=All&sortBy=Date&when=A.D.+1900- present&ft=yves+saint+laurent&offset=140&rpp=80&pos=202.

Laurent, Yves Saint. “Rue Aubriot, Paris Collections,” from the series “White Women.” 1975. Estate of Helmut Newton. Annenberg Space for Photography. Web. 27 Jul. 2019. https://www.annenbergspaceforphotography.org/wp- content/uploads/2017/12/Helmut_Newton_Press_Release.pdf.

Maitre, Dominique. Catherine Deneuve’s collection of Yves Saint Laurent suits. 2019. Christie’s Paris. Women’s Wear Daily. Web. 27 Jul. 2019. https://wwd.com/eye/people/catherine-deneuve-remembers-last-yves- saint-laurent-show-1202983640/.