Dior, Chanel & Yves Saint Laurent: Who Defined Haute Couture in 1987?

What did haute couture look like at the height of 1980s glamour? In Spring 1987, Dior, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent offered three very different answers. This video compares the collections of Marc Bohan at Christian Dior, Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, and Yves Saint Laurent — and the silhouettes that defined late-1980s haute couture. At Christian Dior, Marc Bohan celebrated the house’s 40th anniversary with his “New New Look,” revisiting the architecture of Dior through high waists and bell-shaped skirts. At Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld exaggerated proportion with graphic volume, short suits and the celebrated “Parabola” silhouette. Yves Saint Laurent took another direction, balancing disciplined tailoring with vivid color, floral eveningwear and the refined proportions that had become signatures of his couture. Together, these Spring 1987 Haute Couture collections reveal three competing visions of elegance at a moment when Paris couture was embracing spectacle, power dressing and increasingly dramatic silhouettes. Chapters: 00:00 1987 Haute Couture: Dior, Chanel & Yves Saint Laurent 01:00 Christian Dior Spring 1987: Marc Bohan’s 40th Anniversary Collection 01:43 Dior’s “New New Look”: High Waists & Bell-Shaped Skirts 02:39 Chanel Spring 1987: Karl Lagerfeld’s Haute Couture 03:12 Chanel Micro-Suit & Parabola Silhouette 04:54 Yves Saint Laurent Spring 1987 Haute Couture 06:19 YSL Evening Dresses & Floral Couture 07:29 Dior vs Chanel vs Yves Saint Laurent: Who Defined 1987? #HauteC