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.

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.

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 …

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

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.

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:

When Christian Dior met Yves Saint Laurent, an ambitious 17-year-old student of haute couture, in 1955, it was the springboard that launched the teenager’s career. Dior became his mentor and tutored him in the art of high fashion design.

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.

Nov 15, 2021 · Yves Saint Laurent (1957-1960) Yves Saint Laurent found his first job in the fashion industry working alongside Christian Dior as his assistant. After Dior’s sad passing in 1957, the French fashion scene found itself in disarray; CEO Marcel Boussac wished to shut down the brand as a whole but was unable to due to the industry authorities ...

The relationship between Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) and Christian Dior is a tale of mentorship, innovation, and the passing of the torch in the world of haute couture.