Le Smoking Jacket Yves Saint Laurent most valuable creation

 YSL took the fashion world by storm with his beatnik look, safari jackets, thigh high boots, but the look that made the most impression was the classic tailored suit, known as a tuxedo suit for women called the le smoking suit.  Yves takes a lot of his revolutionary ideas from male fashion such as the blazer and leather jacket.

A tuxedo was generally known as men’s wear, the term tuxedo originated from North America tuxedo’s appeared when Henry Poole created a short smoking jacket for the Prince of Wales to where to dinner parties.  A rich man by the name of James Potter came for dinner he asked the Prince what he should wear The Prince then asked Henry Poole to make James Potter a suit.  On his return to the USA Potters Dinner suit was very popular at the tuxedo Club and other men began to copy the suit it then grew to become some sort of uniform.  The evening suit then birthed the name Tuxedo this is due to the fact that it was the first place the evening suit was worn in America.  The evening suit consisted of a jacket with silk facings well known as a dinner jacket; trousers with silk, a cummerbund which can be substituted with a low cut waistcoat completed with a black bow tie.  These are the elements of a tuxedo Yves created the first tuxedo for women that really made it in the fashion world and pop culture.  Yves had taken male orientated fashion and made it flattering for the female figure.   

The Le smoking suit was birthed in the year 1966 in Paris.  The jacket was a waist length jacket, which consisted of a shawl collar, turn up cuffs and button fastenings, the suit was made of silk.  Yves aimed to make an evening suit for women inspired by men’s fashion, St Laurent did this to empower women and change the stereotype that men had of women and at this particular time women were thought of as house wives and very few women were in the work place.  The idea was to give the pantsuit a classier edger look that complimented the woman’s figure.  In 1968 Yves made a variety of pant suits for women, this change the ascent of women in society in the 1970’s. The tuxedo/suit was a very intimidating and powerful suit up to this day it makes a man stand out.  The suit that was seen as powerful to men Yves stripped that power by creating the suit for women and simulating to make it seem equal. One of the reasons why it was popularised was because it was first seen photographed by Helmut Newton.

Helmut Newton 1975 YSL

Every year Yves would make another version of the Le smoking suit it was like a tradition and a very important piece to him.  The Le smoking jacket living up to two decades this year and today we have the boyfriend jacket that simulates the woman Le smoking jacket and is one of the known style accessories tailored to flatter the female shape and some even create curves for the woman with a boyish figure.  The pant suit is now a must in every women’s wardrobe and is still going strong, making it a style that is sure never to end. 

In my view Yves Saint Laurent sparked women’s liberation though Fashion, it is more than clothing it’s a statement that cannot be denied. The Le Smoking jacket changed things byYves making the women’s business suit evidently makes women feel more powerful but stylish which makes me think anything men can do women can do better in style.