Evening Dress

Having worked for the grand old man of haute couture, Balenciaga, Courréges opened his own fashion house in 1961. He established his name as a designer in 1965 when he introduced the mini-skirt in his haute couture collection. The influence of this style, which was to become one of the mainstays of fashion during the twentieth century, was accepted by the younger generation who were becoming increasingly influential in fashion. His style, which concentrated on simplicity and functionality, was to allow him, together with Saint-Laurent and Cardin, to establish and lead the fashions of the sixties. The fashion for the mini-dress was followed in the late sixties by long, maxi-dresses and flared-bottom trousers. Judging from the length of this evening dress, it is thought to have been designed during the seventies. This dress, with its simple lines and thick, white, woolen fabric that Courréges particularly liked, is typical of his sophisticated style. The back is open but this is not so much a reference to traditional ‘womanliness’ as seen in classic evening dresses, rather it is a way of allowing the woman who wears it to show off their young body.