In the late 1930s, curator James Laver, of the Victoria & Albert Museum, crafted a theory that he would later call the "gap of appreciation." He postulated that a fashion becomes ridiculous 20 years after its debut but quaint by 50, charming at 70, and after 150 years, beautiful.
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The sleeves on this Saint Laurent evening dress strongly evoke the gigot sleeves of the 1830s, as seen on the silk taffeta dress, at right. Although his influences were varied, Saint Laurent often utilized historical elements in his designs.
Yves Saint Laurent
Evening dress
Purple and rust iridescent silk taffeta
Circa 1980, France
The Museum at FIT, 82.234.1
Gift of Mildred Hilson
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