Yves Saint Laurent's Knit Bridal Gown: A Famously Bizarre Fuzzy Cocoon

By | September 16, 2019

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Model Audrey Marnay wears the wedding dress Cocoon. (Photo by Pool SIMON/STEVENS/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent was known for pushing the envelope with the styles he created under his brand beginning in the 1960s. One thing he enjoyed doing was looking for fashion inspiration outside of Paris, even outside of Europe. In 1965, he took inspiration from the iconic Russian nesting dolls to design a wedding gown that still has people talking today. Unfortunately, it's for all the wrong reasons. For such a well-respected and influential fashion designer, most of the world believes that Yves Saint Laurent missed the mark with his knit bridal gown of 1965. Let's take a closer look at this crime of fashion. 

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Designer Yves Saint Laurent. Source: (vogue.com)

A Fashion Prodigy

As a child and teen, Yves Saint Laurent designed dresses for his mother and sisters. In 1953, he decided to enter three of his designs in a fashion contest sponsored by International Wool Secretariat and surprised everybody when he won. When he traveled to Paris to collect his prize, he was persuaded to stay in the city to pursue a career as a fashion designer. He soon went to work for Christian Dior, and upon Dior's untimely death, he became the head designer of the Dior label at only 21 years old. When he was drafted to serve in the French army, the Dior company used the opportunity to fire Yves Saint Laurent following a lackluster 1960 season. When he returned from active duty, he had a decision to make about his future.