Christian Dior “Chicago Jacket”

The Christian Dior Fall/Winter 1960 Collection “Chicago Jacket” ensemble — a motorcycle inspired jacket in dyed crocodile with mink accents and mink hat — holds an essential place in the history of modern fashion . Yves Saint Laurent took over as creative director of the fashion house following Mr. Dior’s sudden death in 1957 and was there until 1960. The “Chicago Jacket” was part of his final collection at Dior and was inspired by the Marlon Brando film “The Wild One,” which helped usher in the beatnik culture revolution. Like the film, Yves Saint Laurent shirked the cultural norms of the time, and in 1959 presented leather jackets for the first time as couture . However, the fashion press and longstanding Dior customers rejected the styles, a setback which contributed to Yves Saint Laurent’s exit from his post at Dior.. This was also the period when the public turned their backs on Elizabeth, blaming her for Eddie Fisher leaving his wife, Debbie Reynolds and the subsequent breakup of their marriage. Both the jacket and Elizabeth became symbolic of a time involving radical change, marked by social movements, artistic innovations, and pushing the status quo.